


Of Swords, Crowns, and Winter Sounds

by Eldritch_Exile



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cardverse, Fantasy, Multi, Royalty, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-28 18:13:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 43,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13277109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eldritch_Exile/pseuds/Eldritch_Exile
Summary: Despite all his claims of heroism, Alfred is no king. He is a thief. But, the Sword of Spades has other ideas and now, he must learn to navigate through the court and learn all the intricacies of being king before he makes a mistake that might just be the beginning of the Fall of the Empire.





	1. Nothing Grows When It is Dark

**Author's Note:**

> I just missed this fandom and decided to try writing again. They might be a little ooc, I haven't written fanfiction for Hetalia in a long while. I apologize for any mistakes but I hope people enjoy. Also, the plan is definitely Rusame but Ivan won't be there until chapter 2 at the very least. 
> 
> Chapter Titles are from the album, Beneath the Skin by Of Monsters and Men

The sun shone bright on the annual Feast of Swords and all its activities. Alfred made his way through the thick crowd of people, hands light as it picked at pockets, lifting the much too heavy purses of their owners. 

The festival market was bustling with the noise that came everywhere there was a crowd. A crowd was gathered around someone in palace livery on the stage at the center of the square. 

“...later this day, the queen would welcome anyone who would like to try their luck at one of our great Empire’s most prized relic, the sword of the…” 

Alfred ignored them all and made his way to one of the stalls. There was a stack of the food his brother was so fond of, pancakes dripped in the sweetest syrup. Alfred licked his lips as he ordered food enough for both of them, maybe all of them. Mattie may not approve of Alfred’s methods of survival but it kept them both fed so Alfred saw nothing wrong with it. 

The people he stole from didn’t really need what he took from them. 

He munched on a piece of the pancake as he looked at the performers that replaced the palace courier on the stage. They danced in a flair of colors and grace. Their steps were light enough that it gave the illusion of flight. As a tribute to the Empire’s yearly festival, the troupe seemed to have brought out their sword dancer for this performance.

Alfred watched in awe as the man on stage performed his tricks with a variety of swords, the blade glittering with a mesmerizing sparkle as it caught the light of the sun. Alfred’s hand twitched. He remembered days spent with his brother playing, with branches as swords and their blankets as their knight’s cloak, they used to pretend to be the best knights the Empire of Spades has ever seen. 

Grimacing, Alfred stepped back from the crowd, hoping to get back home before the whole place became more congested with people. He stumbled but managed to stay up when he bumped into a total stranger. 

“Woah, sorry, dude,” Alfred said, with the widest grin he could come up with. “Didn’t see you there.” 

Alfred blinked as he finally took in the stranger he bumped into. The man had hair whiter than snow and eyes as red as blood. The man had a hand on Alfred’s shoulder and he unconsciously took a step back, knowing how easy it was to lift something from other’s pockets. 

The man raised his hands and grinned at him. “No,” he said. “All my fault. You should go, Alfred. Big day ahead of you.” 

Alfred froze. The words seemed strange and not at all what he expected. One of the first rules in the street was that anything strange could also be dangerous, most likely dangerous actually. But, before he could actually do anything, the strange man had disappeared into the crowd. 

Alfred searched his pockets and found nothing missing. He shrugged. He guessed it wasn’t that strange to find someone cracked in the streets of the empire, especially on festival day.

It took several minutes for him to realize that the man had known his name without being given it.

\-----

“I’m home!” Alfred called out as he ducked inside the seedy inn they called home. It wasn’t really that bad, Alfred thought. Tino, the man who too them in when they were children, too care of the inn and strays like he and Mattie. 

“Alfred!” Peter exclaimed excitedly. He stood up on one of the stools and Berwald had to place a steady hand on his back to keep him from falling. Mattie was seated on another one of the stools and their eyes met before they both laughed at Peter’s antics. “Did you hear?! They’re having people try their luck with the Empire’s sword.” 

Tino wiped his hands on a cloth as he came out of the kitchen. “Peter was very disappointed.” 

Alfred dropped the package of pancakes in front of his brother and threw his arm around his twin. “Why?” Alfred asked through a mouthful of food, having taken another one of the pancakes. Matthew gave him a small smile before he also ate the sweet snack. “No one’s been chosen by the sword since Alfred the Great.” 

“Aren’t you going to try?” Tino asked with a frown. “You’re both of age. I heard everyone was welcome to try. You can go with Emil later on.”

“And you were named after the last chosen king,” Berwald added. 

Alfred snorted. “Please,” he laughed loudly. “A hero doesn’t need a sword to tell him he’s a hero.” 

“I heard Alfred. Is he back?” Matthias asked in a loud voice as he stuck his head out of the kitchen door. “Hey, Alfred, why don’t you help out back here? We need to bring some boxes inside.” 

“Alright, alright,” Alfred said, as he stood up and stretched his arms over his head. “The hero is always willing to help, after all, huh?” 

Matthias laughed and punched him lightly on the shoulders. “Heroes don’t steal, Alfred. But, you can go try for the sword like everyone else later.” 

“Who do you think taught me to steal,” Alfred grumbled under his breath. 

“Eh, a man’s got to eat to live and sometimes we got to steal to eat,” Matthias said with the same careless shrug that often got him on the bad side of everyone else who lived at the inn. “Also, Lukas was the one who taught you so don’t even try with that, Al.” 

Alfred shrugged as they reached the back door of the inn. There were two crates stacked on top of one another and they each took one to carry inside. “What’s in this?” Alfred asked as they brought them down into the cellar. 

“Ingredients, probably,” Matthias answered as they placed the boxes on the floor. “You know, Tino has his sources. So, you going with Ice and Mattie to try for the sword later?” 

Alfred scuffed his boots on the floor with a frown on his face. “I was thinking it was just another ploy of the queen, you know. Get the people happy by showing that they’re still looking for a king and that anyone could be king,” he said. Then, he raised his head and grinned at Matthias. “But, Peter still thinks I’m a hero so we can’t just disappoint him, can we?” 

Matthias laughed and ruffled Alfred’s hair. “That’s the spirit, Al!” 

Alfred slapped Matthias’ hand away from his head. “Yeah, yeah, dude, I got it, okay?” 

“Remember the rules?” 

Alfred rolled his eyes. “Don’t steal when Peter’s there?” 

“Yeah, he’s still too young. We have to protect him.” 

“And Tino will have our heads if we mess it up, right?” Alfred grinned. “I wonder if there’s any big lunch. I mean, it’s festival day, right?” Alfred waggled his eyebrows. 

Matthias laughed as they came up to the kitchen. Tino and Matthew were already preparing some meal. “Go ask,” Matthias said as he gently pushed Alfred towards the innkeep. “I’ll back you up.” 

“Thanks,” Alfred said, raising his fist for a fistbump. Matthias complied and Alfred’s smile widened. “You’re the best, Matthias!”

\-----

The four of them walked the streets after their big lunch. The whole capital city was festive and it made it difficult to navigate the streets without bumping into someone. When it happened to Alfred and what looked like a wealthy merchant, he unconsciously lifted the other’s purse. Alfred froze which Emil seemed to have noted beside him.

Emil looked at him though his expression remained impassive. Alfred pocketed the purse. “I thought we weren't supposed to steal today?” 

Alfred hushed him and looked to where his twin and Peter were walking ahead of them. “We’re not supposed to,” he whispered. “I just did it out of instinct.” 

Emil played with the ribbon he wore. “You,” he told Alfred, “have quite the problem.” 

Alfred snorted. “Dude! Come on, it’s not like you haven’t done it before.”

Emil tilted his head and there was a small curl to his lips, the hint of a smile. “There’s that,” Emil said. “Are we really doing this sword thing?” 

“What?” Alfred laughed. “Didn't your big brother ask you to go?” 

Emil wrinkled his nose. “He’s not my big brother.”

Alfred placed his hands behind his head as they walked, relaxed and easy. He swore to himself about behaving for the day. “Well, I’m doing this for Peter.” 

Emil smiled. “He does want to be like you.” Emil glanced at some of the stalls they passed by as they walked. He seemed lost in thought. “Hero worship, huh? I think I used to feel that way for my big brother.” 

Alfred nudged him, teasing. “Thought he wasn't your big brother?” 

He gave Alfred an unamused stare. “Don’t tell him,” Emil frowned. “Lukas will make me say it again. Then, Matthias too.” They stopped as they reached the square where people were signing up for the Trial of the Sword. “Won’t Peter be disappointed when none of us become King?” 

“Nah,” Alfred said, shaking his head. “I’m not a king in his eyes anyway. I’m a hero!” 

Emil snorted and laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

\-----

Arthur gripped the banister in a white-knuckled grip as he watched a girl leave the platform. The sword is as unresponsive as ever. The trial, Arthur knew, hasn’t produced a king in several generations but he still dared to hope and today was the last day of the feast of swords, the last chance for this period for him to hold this trial. 

“You are tense, Arthur,” said a voice to his right and his Jack entered from beyond the heavy curtains that separated the balcony Arthur was watching from and the hallway beyond. Yao gave him a knowing look. “People do not expect much from this except for the chance to say that they have tried. You know that, your highness.” 

“We need a king,” Arthur said, gritting his teeth. “A proper king.” 

“If you marry someone,” Yao started but Arthur was already shaking his head before the Jack had even finished. 

“You know that will only be a stopgap,” Arthur said as he forced himself to release the banister. Another trial ended in a failure but the group of young adults, journeymen, Arthur thought, still cheered and slapped each other in the back. They had no idea what this all meant. 

“The Joker’s Blessing is a thing of the past,” Yao said although even he sounded like he was only convincing himself. “You know, the other kingdoms have also used stopgap royals before.” 

“No kingdom has lasted this long without a complete set of royals,” Arthur sighed and watched the journeymen leave the door. “It’s only a matter of time.” 

“You give us too little credit, Arthur.” 

Arthur gave Yao a tired look. “Only when the royals are complete will the empire prosper under The Joker’s Blessing. The other kingdoms are never going to give consideration to the fact that we are at a disadvantage.” 

“You always expect the worst of things, my queen,” Yao said as he too came forward to watch the proceedings. “I imagine we have time still before any of the kingdoms make a move. They’ve waited for years, after all.” 

Arthur drummed his fingers on the banister. The cold stone was smooth under his palm when he flattened his hand over it. “The only kingdoms were also searching for years,” Arthur gave a grimace as another failure walked across the stage. “Some have only been complete in the last five years. You can expect they’ve been using that time to prepare.” 

“And so have we,” Yao waved his hand dismissively. 

Arthur nodded and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned his hips on the banister. His hand came to rest upon the clock he had strapped on his belt, an heirloom, his birthright as queen. “I can only hope that my magic and yours will be enough when trouble comes.” 

Yao tilted his head as another group came closer to the stage they have set up in the front room of the castle. The room looked more somber now, the colors less vibrant. These days, it always felt like the queen was in mourning. Maybe he still was, Yao thought. After all, it hasn’t been a decade yet since his mother, the former queen, had passed. 

Yao turned his attention back to the new group. They looked like boys who’ve only come of age, probably here simply to try their luck and be able to say that they have. Just as he told Arthur moments ago. One of them laughed while ruffling the hair of a boy far too young to have a try at the sword. A brother, perhaps, Yao thought with an amused smile. 

Yao looked away as the first of the boy’s group climbed the stairs and turned to look at the Queen of Spades. “The King will come when the time comes.”

\-----

Alfred looked around the place as they moved up enough in the line to actually enter the palace’s entrance hall where the trial was being held. It was a circular room with tall windows and balconies spaced in between. He could see entrances that would lead to other parts of the castle and a grand staircase behind the dais where the King’s Sword was placed above a flat obsidian. The sword itself looked as black as the stone where it lay. 

Peter gaped and spun around. Alfred could see him gazing at the great banners that lined the walls, the blue and gold of the empire displayed so grandly. The beautiful chandelier high above them was also a work of art. A great deal of magic too, Alfred thought as he realized that there were no candles or other such things that let it light the place. 

“Artificing,” Matthew whispered beside him. “I heard the Jack was good at such things.” 

“Magic? Wasn’t it the queen who was skilled?” Emil asked with a frown. 

Alfred answered without thinking about it. “The queen is good with spells and other such things. Artificing is a kind of magic but it’s more to do with making stuff. Like smithing.” 

Emil gave him a suspicious look. “Since when were you an expert in magic?” 

Matthew gave an answer before Alfred did. “Before Tino found us, Al and I ran errands for an old man who treated us like his grandsons.” 

Alfred stretched his arms again before placing his hands behind his neck. “I used to tell Mattie that he was crazy,” he said. “Then, he taught us a bit and I changed my mind.” 

“So he’s like the sage in the stories? The one the heroes meet before their quest?” Peter asked, excitedly. “Where is he now? Can he teach me too?” 

Matthew’s lowered his head and gave a small smile as he crouched down to Peter’s level. “He’s been gone for years now,” he said in the same soft voice as always, calm and gentle and not at all like Alfred’s usual brash tone. “But, he left us with good memories and skills we could use.” 

“It’s our turn,” Emil said as they stopped by the bottom of the stairs to the dais. “Who should go first?” 

“You guys go,” Alfred said with a laugh. “Gotta save the best for last right?” 

Emil shrugged and stepped up to the sword. He touched it and it remained black as the obsidian. He shrugged and stepped aside as Matthew came forward to try. Alfred was trying hard not to look bored since Peter looked so excited just to be here. Alfred raised his eyes to the balconies, wondering if there was some kind of judge watching to see if the sword would actually choose a king today. 

He vaguely saw two figures leaning on the banister before Matthew was urging him forward. “What happens when you become king, Al?” Peter asked, following him on the dais. 

“Being king is boring,” Alfred laughed. “I don’t need to be king.” With that and a wink at Peter, he reached out for the sword without even looking at it. He turned away quickly, already pulling Peter with him and ushering them all away from the black sword. “Let’s go get something to eat. I’m famished.” 

“You ate about five servings of the stew a while ago, Al.” 

“That was lunch, Mattie!” Alfred protested. “This is a snack.” 

Someone gasped and murmurs started. Emil stopped and Al gave him a frown. “Come on,” Alfred said. “It’ll be my treat.” 

“Alfred,” Matthew said as he also stopped and looked at the sudden commotion. “I think you should look behind you.” 

The sword was still on the obsidian and the next contender was frozen and silent with shock at the foot of the dais. The sword was no longer black. Its blade shone, bright under the lights of the artificed chandelier. Its handle and crossguard looked like it was made of solid gold but gold was too soft a metal to be used on a weapon. On the crossguard was a single jewel shaped like the crest of the Empire. 

All in all, the sword looked magnificent and glorious for one that had supposedly existed for more than a thousand years. Its blade didn’t look dull at all and there were no scratches or worn out places. It looked new or like one of those ceremonial swords that were never really used in battle. 

Alfred paled. He felt a bit sick at the puzzle that was slowly fitting itself together in his mind. He heard someone call for the guards and an order to stop them. A part of him knew it was because of the sword. But, another part of him, the part that was a thief and the child that grew up on the streets knew how dangerous being detained by guards were. 

Alfred looked up at the grand staircase and met with the green eyes of the queen. He took a step back from the dais. Then, he turned and ran.

\-----

He must have made a wrong turn somewhere. 

Alfred looked around, trying to figure out where he was. How far had he gone? He cursed as he realized that he’d left the others behind. Still, the sight of the guards rushing towards him had rattled him. 

“You should be inside the palace, your highness,” a voice said. 

Alfred turned and watched as a man rounded a corner, appearing from beyond the hedges. He had white hair although he was young and with a start, Alfred recognized the man he had bumped into when he was in the square that morning. The man wore formal robes of black and red. He carried himself with the casual confident air of a noble. 

Alfred narrowed his eyes. “Does everybody know that?” 

“No,” the man laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m just not the same as everyone.” 

“Right,” Alfred said. “So who are you?” 

“Gilbert,” he said with a smirk. “And I was never here.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“You have a few seconds until the guards and the Jack finds you here. Stay, Alfred,” Gilbert said. “A hero never runs.” 

Then, Gilbert was passing by him and around another corner just as Alfred hears the heavy boots of the palace guards. The Jack was leading them like Gilbert had said. Alfred faced them and stood his ground.


	2. Cage Me Like an Animal, A Crown with Gems and Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being King was not an easy task and Alfred barely has time to learn everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who gave gave kudos and comments. Again, I apologize for any mistakes in this chapter. I hope you enjoy!

_An Excerpt taken from The Sword of Gold: The Rise of the Empire of Spades by Alice Kirkland, Queen of Spades, 545 AR_

>   
>  On the Trial of the Sword:
> 
> “It must be noted that the Trial of the Sword has records going back to the establishment of our great empire. Kings from old have taken up the sword since the very beginning. There is no real evidence to show that the sword was a gift from the gods, one god in particular, so it must follow that being chosen would not automatically make one a king. The Sword in question is known to have never been tarnished, never dulled, and not once had it ever a day older. It is the source of the empire’s power and so, we follow who wields it. We follow our King.”  
> 

\-----

“Sit up straight, and tuck your elbows closer to your body. You’ll make your sleeves dirty,” Arthur coached and Alfred gave him a sullen look. They stared at each other for a few moments before the Queen of Spades stood to arrange the new king’s body to the proper position. “Do you embarrass yourself during the coronation?”  


Alfred glared at the queen. “I don’t want to be king,” he said. “I told you, Artie, you had the wrong person.”

“If you were a simple commoner, then it would be within my rights to have you punished for addressing me so casually,” Arthur said as he went back to his seat. He gave the young man a meaningful look. “As such, you are the king and we are equals. You will learn how to act properly.” 

“Or what?” 

“Or you just might insult the wrong person during your coronation celebration, your highness,” Yao said as he entered the room. He brought several servants with him and Alfred groaned, burying his face in his hands. He was sure this was about another tedious and well-meaning ceremony of the palace that he wanted no part of. “Insulting the wrong person will be a grave mistake.”

“And I told you, this is all a grave mistake,” Alfred said, trying to imitate the haughty tones he’d heard from the nobles in the palace. Yao didn’t sound like that but Alfred was feeling a bit irritable after several days in the palace in constant supervision. “Just let me go home.” 

“I hope it is that,” Arthur said, drily. On the other hand, Arthur can and did sometimes sound like those nobles. “When I hoped for a king, I certainly expected something more.” 

“Oh yeah?” Alfred stood and slammed his hands on the table with enough force that the setting bounced and almost fell to the ground. “Well, dude, all you have to do is send me home!” 

“I cannot,” Arthur snarled. “You don’t understand it, do you, boy? You were chosen by the sword. The first in more than a hundred years, in fact. If I had a choice, don’t you think I would have chosen someone better than a half-wit who doesn’t know how to address his betters?” 

Alfred went tense and Yao came between them. “Now, now, this is no time to fight.” 

“You’re no better than me,” Alfred said in a cold voice before he turned around and pushed past the servants to leave the room. 

After the door slammed closed, Yao sighed and looked disapprovingly at Arthur. “You are not making this easier.” He dismissed the servants with a tired wave and sat on one of the vacant chairs around the table. 

Arthur clicked his tongue. “Look at him,” he waved at the general direction of the door where Alfred had gone. “He’s a child.” 

“You were around his age when you took the throne.” 

“I was older,” Arthur said, wrinkling his nose. “I had more experience and was more mature.” 

“You were also raised to be queen,” Yao said. “The boy hasn’t even been in this palace for a month. He needs time to learn. It’s only been a week.” 

Arthur rubbed at his temples. “A stressful week I would rather forget.” 

Yao chuckled and shook his head. “He is headstrong.” 

“Headstrong,” Arthur scoffed. “That’s putting it mildly.” 

“You said you wanted someone strong. If a war is coming as you say then the Joker has granted your wish.” Yao folded his hands over his lap. “What better strength is there than youth?” 

“Wisdom,” Arthur grimaced. He picked up his forgotten cup of tea and scowled when he discovered it cold. “Grace. Knowledge.” They heard some kind of commotion from the open windows of the room. Arthur closed his eyes and gave a heavy sigh. “Subtlety.” 

Yao laughed. “The palace could use some new stories to tell,” he said. His smile fell and he looked at Arthur seriously. “Be patient with him, Arthur. Boys do not becomes Kings overnight. He needs us if he is to succeed.” 

Arthur placed the cup back on the saucer with a little more force than is necessary. “I know that,” he said. “Believe me I do.”

\-----

“Well, well, if it isn’t his royal highness,” a cheerful voice said and Alfred turned to see the familiar face of the white-haired man he had come to know as a useful ally.  


Alfred relaxed. “Gilbert,” he greeted. Since he became king, he’d seen Gilbert in his exploration of the palace. Regularly, in fact. He was not quite sure if the other man was a noble, a guard, or just another servant.

“Running away from the queen?” 

Alfred scowled. “I’m not a prisoner.” 

“No, you’re the king,” Gilbert agreed with the same charming smile as always. As Alfred started walking again, he fell into step beside the young king. “But, sometimes, crowns weigh heavier than shackles or chains.” 

“What?” 

“It’s all the metals and gems, you know,” Gilbert said. He made a circle with his hand and made a gesture as if he was putting a crown on top of his head.

Alfred made a confused face. “You make no sense sometimes,” he said. 

Gilbert grinned at him and stopped him with a hand on a shoulder. They were stopped at a corner of the hallway. These parts of the palace seemed empty and eerily silent. Alfred noticed that about Gilbert. He never appeared when there were other people around. 

“Don’t I?” Gilbert asked. “Anyway, you shouldn’t be so angry with the lovely Queen of Spades.” 

Alfred laughed. “Have you met him? Arthur’s not lovely.” 

Gilbert laughed but did not say anything else. He seemed distracted, rummaging through his black coat for something. Alfred noticed that the colors Gilbert wore, black and red, were not of their kingdom. He frowned and changed his assumption of the man, not a guard or a servant of the palace then. An ambassador from Hearts perhaps? Red was their color as far as he knew. 

Gilbert made a triumphant noise. Alfred realized that, for some reason, though he was still itching to leave the palace and forget about all this, he was stopped now in this corner of the place for whoever Gilbert was. 

“Here,” Gilbert said as he held out a closed fist. 

Alfred eyed it suspiciously. “What is it?” 

Gilbert sighed in exasperation and opened his hand. He kept his thumb and forefinger together, pinching the length of a chain. It was a necklace, Alfred realized. He squinted his eyes. Or not. There was a key hanging from the chain. It was in the same blue color of Alfred’s coat, the color of Spades. 

“It’s a gift, freely given,” Gilbert winked. 

Alfred took it from the other and looked at it by the light of the window. He stared at it and a ran a thumb over the thin rod of the key. There was something written there but 

Alfred realized it was not in any language he could read. “What does this mean? What does it open?” 

Alfred raised his head to look at the white haired man only to find a window open and Gilbert long gone.

\-----

Alfred raised his arms to allow the tailor and his assistants to take his measurements. Yao made comments and other such things. Alfred endured it all with a tired sigh. Really, it was more like he was tired of running away.

“Two sets of formal clothing, I believe,” Yao said, tapping a pen on a desk in the room that Alfred has never used since he has been given the suite. 

“Do I really need more clothes?” Alfred finally deigned to ask. He squinted at Yao. On his first day in the palace, they had tailors take his measurements and the had sets of clothes by the second day. They were good clothes too, more suited for the formal events held by the court than the usual ones Alfred was used to as a thief. Alfred did have things to say about all of the clothes being blue. Some things should only go so far despite everything. 

“The clothes you were given before are for your regular activities, your highness,” The tailor answered. “These would be for your coronation.” 

“Seems like a waste of time,” Alfred said as he stepped down from the small platform they had him stand on for the measurements. He crossed the room and threw his wardrobe open to examine the clothes. “These seem good enough, yeah?” 

“Your highness, it would be an insult to the other royals if you appear in something other than the best.” Yao said with a grimace. “And on your coronation, too.” 

“These are the best clothes I’ve owned!” Alfred laughed in disbelief. “Dude, do you know how much these outfits would cost? Just one would let me live comfortably for a year! Hm, maybe two years.” 

“Do not argue with things you do not understand,” Arthur’s voice came from the door. He seemed to have stopped at the threshold to watch the proceedings. He sighed and closed the wardrobe in front of Alfred. “Now, stop dithering and finish these preparations. We still have your lessons afterwards.” 

Alfred narrowed his eyes at him and scowled. He was about to turn back to finish whatever else the tailors wanted when Arthur stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Is there something wrong with your eyes?”

“Artie, you’re insulting me again, aren’t you?” 

“No,” Arthur said and reached for Alfred. The young man flinched and stepped away. “Your sight is bad, is it not?” 

Alfred crossed his arms defensively. “So?” 

“Yao,” Arthur said. “We should have some spectacles made for the King as well, I think.” 

Yao nodded and wrote something on a sheet of paper from the desk. He gave it to an errand boy that was immediately sent away. “We have already received messages from the other kingdoms and what we can expect from them.” 

With that, Alfred perked up. “Really?” He asked, bouncing on his toes. Arthur made a gesture and with a sigh, Alfred complied with the tailor’s prodding again. Alfred tried to follow Arthur’s movement through the room, craning his head and such with a stern, disapproving look from the queen. “Come on, Artie!” Alfred whined. “The only thing good about this is that I’ve always wanted to know more about the other kingdoms.” 

Arthur arched one thick eyebrow. Alfred repressed the urge to laugh and tease him for it. Gilbert was right in some regards. Arthur has been queen for a long time and Alfred could at least acknowledge that. Arthur had even somehow noticed Alfred’s difficulty seeing. “I find that hard to believe,” the queen said. 

Alfred took it back. He cannot stand the Queen of Spades at all. “What!?” He made a sound of protest. “Fine, maybe it’s Mattie who’s always reading but I like the stories. Like the Winter Roads in Clubs or the Laughing Blooms in Hearts.” 

“Fairy tales?” 

Alfred glared at Arthur but said nothing as the tailors were dismissed. He was not looking forward to the fitting tomorrow which he gleaned from the discussions. Even Yao left, nodding at them both before he was gone from the room. “I know they’re not real, ‘kay? I’m not a kid anymore! It’s just they’re damn interesting. And I like legends of heroes more than fairy tales.” 

Arthur paused. “I was not insulting you. I quite enjoy those tales as well. It was not something I expected.” Arthur cocked his head as if he was thinking of something. “Heroes, huh? Like the Song of Heilreich and Venezia? Like the Knight of White, Gilbert?” 

“Gilbert?” Alfred asked, suddenly remembering his strange friend from the palace. 

Arthur seemed to take it as a question. “The former King of Hearts, long ago. They said he united the baronies under the crown and paved the way for the Red Kingdom’s rise to power. But, it’s all a mix of fact and fiction nowadays. Some say he had magic given by the Jokers that went beyond the relic blessed to Hearts. Some say he led the greatest army in the word. I heard a version that said he could talk to the dead and knew their secrets. It’s all muddled up, really.”

“But he’s a hero?” 

“Some would say,” Arthur gave Alfred a significant look. “But stories have a way of changing. Do you know people have been saying things about you as well?” 

“What things?” 

Arthur chuckled. “It is not proper for a king to listen to rumors and gossip.” He waved a hand to the stack of books on the desk. “Shall we proceed to your lessons? I do hope you’ve read what I have assigned to you.”

\-----

Alfred made a note at the margins of the book. He was just considering ripping out the pages or stealing the whole book to bring back to Mattie and the others in the Nordic Cross Inn when the doors to the library opened. Alfred looked up, ready to tease Artie and get the other huffing again when he caught sight of Yao.

“Yao,” Alfred said, leaning back on his chair. “Where’s Artie?” 

“The coronation is tomorrow,” Yao said as he took the seat across Alfred. He peered at the book on the desk and frowned. “Arthur would not appreciate you writing on the books. The coronation is tomorrow. Arthur is still working on preparations and he is meeting the delegation from Diamonds.” 

Alfred’s eyes widened. “They’re already here? Dude, are you serious!? I thought the coronation was tomorrow.” 

“The Kingdom of Diamonds is our closest ally,” Yao said as he folded his hands on the table and gave Alfred a serious look. “Did you fail to remember that from your lessons?” 

“I can’t remember everything in two weeks!” Alfred made a sweeping gesture around the library. They were the only ones there since Arthur had made the request with the palace librarian to give them private use during Alfred’s lessons. “‘Sides, I’m really curious about other stuff.” 

Yao smiled. “What are you curious about?” 

“Magic,” Alfred said, bouncing in his seat. He leaned forward as if they were sharing a secret and grinned wide at the Jack. “I mean, I heard the queen had a skill for spells and the Jack was good at artificing. Oh, oh, and we have the university here in Spades so, you know, since I’m King, can’t I learn that too?” 

Yao seemed to consider it as he took the book Alfred was reading from the table. Alfred didn’t even realize that he was crumpling the pages by leaning excitedly. Yao looked at the words Alfred had written on the margins before closing the book. “What do you know about the Trial of the Sword, Alfred?” 

“It’s how we choose a king?”

Tha Jack gestured for him to continue as he stacked the books to one side of the table. “Yes, yes, but what else?” 

“I don’t get it,” Alfred scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Actually, Yao, how come we don’t have a similar trial for Jack and Queen?” 

“It’s different for every country. With our country, we hold the Trial of the Sword for the King. The Queen’s Clock is passed down the Kirkland line and the Queen appoints the Jack. I was appointed by Arthur’s mother and Arthur simply decided to allow me to continue my services to the crown. In the past, it was customary to change the Jack every time a new queen is crowned.” Yao steepled his fingers and looked at Alfred. “The Trial is there for a king to be chosen. In the case of something similar to yours, you would have the Queen and Jack to guide you.” 

“But, it’s weird, right?” Alfred said. “Choosing a king based on a sword? And anyway, wouldn’t the Queen and Jack just take advantage of the King if they want to?” 

“Clever,” Yao said. “But, there is something to hinder them from that. Every country has a special gift from the Joker. In ours, it is the King who holds it. Have you heard of the Four Blessings?” 

Alfred shook his head. 

Yao sighed and shook his head in disappointment. “What is the Empire of Spades known for, your highness?” 

“The University,” Alfred raised his forefinger and started counting off, raising another finger for every item on his list. “Military might, Artificing. I guess Artificing is a part of the University. You learn it from there.” 

“Good, now, how does the Trial of the Sword connect to all this?” 

Alfred rubbed at his eyes under the new glasses Arthur had the artificers made for him. He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just know it chooses the king who rules over all the land?” 

Yao sighed and stood up. Alfred watched the Jack disappear around the bookshelves. For a moment, he wondered if he should get up and follow. He dug his hands in his pockets where it curled around the key Gilbert had given him. He still wasn’t sure what it opened and wondered if he should ask Yao or anyone else. 

Yao came back carrying a book. “Read this,” he said. “You don’t have to do it right now but I think it would help you understand your position better.” 

Alfred blinked in surprise before taking the book from Yao. He placed it in front of him and drummed his fingers on the leather binding of the book. “So,” Alfred grinned. “Does this mean I can go for today?” 

“No,” Yao said. “Today, I want to review what you know of Clubs. We are at odds with them and Arthur believes that if you were going to make a mistake, it would be best if it was not with them. Now, tell me what you’ve learned.” 

Alfred groaned but decided that the key could wait for later. The sooner this coronation was over, the sooner he might be able to visit his brother or invite him to the palace. As soon as it was over, Alfred swore he was going to do what he wanted and no one was going to stop him. Even if that meant giving up the crown.

\-----

Alfred did not remember much about the ceremony surrounding his coronation. He remembered kneeling in front of Arthur and being crowned. He remembered swearing on the sword and having it given to him. He remembered sitting on a throne for the first time.

He remembered the words that had been said, “Hail, King Alfred, King of Spades from this year of 704 AR, may his reign be…”

Everything else seemed faint, hidden behind mists and gauze. It was strange. Iit was the party afterwards, the banquet and all the came with it, that he remembered more.

The ballroom was decorated with the blue and gold of Spades. Alfred fought the urge to both gawk at all the intricate decor and complicated artificing that were scattered around the room. There were no gas lamps and candles in the room, only the same ever burning artificed lamps from the university. It was amazing. 

He also had to keep reminding himself that he should not steal from any of the nobles that brushed past him. Perhaps, the was the more difficult of the two. 

The crown weighed heavy on his head. He could not help but think about how much it was worth. Even the clothes he was wearing that night would fetch a grand price. Enough, he thought, that he would be able to afford a place for him and Mattie, maybe even the others, Peter, Tino, and all the rest, in a better and wealthier part of the capital. It felt hard to breathe in this glittering place of blue and gold that was worlds apart from the world of the streets, the world he grew up in. 

He smiled and made small talk when another one of Spade’s nobility approached him. He took care to follow protocols like Arthur had told him. Bow your head only slightly as a greeting. A King is greater than everyone but the other royals. With a lady, you must take care to bow your head over their hand but only to pretend to kiss it. Otherwise, it would be too forward. Keep your back straight. Do not talk of improper things. Be courteous. Smile. The last one was proving harder than Alfred ever thought. 

He decided that there were too many rules in the courts. There were also far too many people waiting for him to fail. 

Eventually, he managed, somehow, to get away from them all. He was thief. He knew how to slip into the hidden places, to shadowed places. 

Doubtless, Arthur would be angry later. Alfred hasn’t even met the royals from the other kingdoms yet or the dignitaries they’ve sent. He could not help but think that Arthur was keeping him away from them. If not, then the queen would be upset that Alfred had not made an effort himself. 

Honestly, he could not bring himself to care. Not at the moment. He managed to get out of the room and into one of the balconies overlooking one of the Palace gardens. They were beautiful even under the moonlight, he thought as he leaned on the banister. It was quieter here. Peaceful. Yet, he could still see the clever artificing that Spades was so known for in the automated statues of former kings and queens in the garden, on the dim ever-burning lamps strewn around the garden, guiding the paths that wound through it. 

“You are the new King of Spades, da?” 

Alfred spun at the sudden interruption. The voice belonged to a tall man with pale blond hair and purple eyes. He had a somewhat childish face but his smile was that of the court, polite and friendly yet still vastly indifferent. There was a scarf wound round his neck but Alfred’s gaze was drawn on the pin that held his cloak around his shoulders. Clubs, Alfred thought, the kingdom that both Arthur and Yao had warned him about over and over again. 

It brought Alfred’s guard up easily enough. “Did you follow me out here?” 

The man stepped forward. “I did not,” he said, simply. He had the self-assured air of someone with authority. Then again, Alfred expected that anyone who had been sent by the kingdoms to a king’s coronation would know power better than Alfred ever did. Alfred tried to assure himself that it did not mean that this man was a royal. It did not mean he wasn’t either. 

“Dude, you’re being creepy, you know,” Alfred laughed nervously. “Ever heard of personal space?” 

The man cocked his head in thought. “I apologize,” he said in a low voice. “I did not follow you. Someone found me and told me where you were.” 

“Someone?” 

“Gilbert,” the stranger said with a wry smile. “He traded the information for the chance to talk to my queen.” 

Alfred grinned and thought of the white-haired man. Gilbert was a friend. At least, Alfred hoped he was and that the other wasn’t sending someone dangerous to him. No matter what the history between Spades and Clubs were, Alfred saw no harm in at least pretending to be friendly and confident. Besides, he couldn’t appear weak and easily intimidated. He mimicked the man’s wry smile as he found himself thinking of how Arthur had drilled that into him as well. 

Never back down but do not intimidate or insult them either. “Well, man, you got me there,” Alfred laughed. “You know my name. Then again, I am the hero. Of course you do. So, what’s yours?” 

The man chuckled. “A hero? Like Alfred the Great, da? Your former king? I heard you were his namesake, that’s all.” 

Alfred pouted. “That’s not fair. You didn’t answer my question.” 

The man gave him the same polite bow Alfred had given to most everyone at court that night. “I am Ivan of the Clubs Empire. I assume you’ve heard of me?” 

Alfred’s smile froze on his face. “The King of Clubs?” 

The man gave a slow nod. “I thought I should make your acquaintance,” Ivan said easily as he came to stand beside Alfred by the banister. They were both silent for a few moments as they looked out the gardens. “Summer is always beautiful in Spades.” 

Alfred stole a look at the other king. “It is,” he agreed. “My brother and I used to find some herbs for an old man when spring came.” 

“Ah, for your magical arts?” Ivan said and nodded as if it made sense. “I have heard much of Spade’s famed University for Magic and Artificing. I have never gone myself though some members of my court have. They speak highly of it.” 

Alfred snorted. “That’s not something I really know much about, your highness.” 

“Your highness?” Ivan chuckled. “You are a king as well, no? Then you do not need to address me as such.” 

Alfred grinned. Perhaps, a little too widely. “Sorry, force of habit.” 

“Ah, yes, the commoner king,” Ivan said though it did not sound mocking as Alfred has heard it from the other people in the banquet. “But, it is a gift, yes? To be chosen by the Blessing?” 

“By the Sword, you mean?” 

“To you, a sword,” Ivan said as he pointed at Alfred’s chest. He pointed to his own chest. “To me, a staff. The Blessing is different for every country. Do you not know?” 

“Yao may have mentioned something.” Alfred shrugged. He dug his hands into his pockets and curled it around the key. It was fast becoming a nervous habit. One he should really not allow to stick. Nervous habits made for unnecessary movements and mistake you can make when stealing. Then again, a king did not need to steal. “I’m still learning. I’ll get back to you when I find out. That is, if you’re still here by then because we’re supposed to hate each other.” 

“Hate?” Ivan seemed to realize what he meant and smiled. “There is no one here. Whatever insults we bear each other is witnessed only by the silver moon and your beautiful flowers. They will not ask and we will not tell. Deal?”

Alfred felt relief wash over him. Maybe he shouldn’t trust the supposed enemy too quickly. In the two weeks since he’s been king, they’ve crammed his head with information about the enemies and allies of the kingdom. He knew there has always been an uneasiness between Clubs and Spades. Still, it felt good to not have to worry. 

He nodded and grinned at the other. “Deal,” he said and brought out his hands from his pocket. He placed them on the banister and met the other king’s eyes. “Should I show you around the garden? I’m new in the palace as well.” 

“Is it wise to share your secrets?” 

“What secrets are there in this garden?” Alfred shook his head. “Besides, Artie’s not here to scold me about it. Let’s go.”

\-----

__

The Joker and the Four

_Listen now for this is a story of distant ages, distant leagues. It is the story of mortals and gods. It is the story of love and war._

_They say that in the era long past when the gods still walked the earth, the Joker found the Four. They were Knights of a Great Empire, one that encompassed the whole known world. The Joker asked the Four if they would like to be heroes, if they would like to be remembered. The Joker said that they would become like gods themselves The Four agreed as only a fool would dare defy the gods. Still, to be legends one must give up a price. So, the Joker asked each one of them what they would be willing to give in exchange for the Joker’s Blessing._

_The First stepped forward and said, “I would give my heart to you for I can never really understand what use it is to me.” The Joker laughed but said nothing else. He took the First’s Heart and blessed them with a cup that would always be full just as the First’s Heart and the cup remained empty and dismal._

_The Second came forward and said, “I would give you all that I own in this world for I have no need of anything but the company of those who I love.” The Joker nodded and seem to agree. He blessed the Second with a coin that would turn stone into gold but at the price of love._

_The Third gave the god the stories and songs that they have learned in their life. The Joker hugged the Third and left them with a wand to bring life and fortune to the land so that they might exchange it for more stories that they could tell and so that they might wander forever for wonder._

_The Fourth gave the Joker their Name and Names are powerful things especially one so close to your heart. It was like giving the Joker your stories, your possessions, and you heart all together. The Joker cried and gave the Fourth a sword to take his own life. For without a name, what is there to a man?_

_Now, some of you may laugh, some of you may question, some of you may cry. Some might say there is no sense to the story at all. For the Joker had given them both a blessing and a curse, and there is none to be gained or lost at all. Some might say that the purpose is this, to tell us that mortals are worth little more than toys to play with when it comes to a god’s desires. We dance and sing to their tune._

_But, it is simple really. The Joker makes fools of us all, gods and mortals both._


	3. Voices Disappear When You are Speaking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for any mistakes. My phone got wrecked and I had to rewrite some of this chapter. Thank you to all those who's still reading this. I hope you enjoy!

\-----

_From a guidebook to the Capital City of Spades, Litera--About its University:_

**The University**

> The University of Litera is known as the largest institution for education in the world. It has given the Empire of Spades its reputation for cultivating knowledge and innovation. The University is best known for its courses on magic and artificing. Besides these courses, it also offers courses on other matters such as Language, History, Military Strategy, and so much more. 
> 
> The Kirkland family that has held the seat of the Queen for the Empire for generations is a known patron of the university and several members of the family have taken up positions as masters and professors in the esteemed University. It is said that every member of the Kirkland family has been known to graduate from the University of Litera.
> 
> The University also boasts the largest collection of books and scrolls from all over the known world rivalled only by the Bibliotheca located in the Empire of Clubs. Besides that, the university also owns the largest collection of Artificed Works. The University is also said to hold a considerable amount in their arsenal and produce most of Spades’ military officers that prove their claim to military might.

\-----

Alfred was lying on his bed, humming the music from the banquet of the night before. He stared at the pin in his hand. The emeralds glinted as he tilted it above his head, the light from the window casting its light on it. He thought of the nonsensical stories in the book Yao had given him. The Kingdom of Clubs was known for the arts and, surprisingly, luck.

Alfred wasn’t sure how a kingdom can be known for luck but the pin in his hand showed that its king was either unlucky or just ignorant of the fact that Alfred has stolen from him. At least, Alfred hoped that he didn’t know. 

He was sure Artie would be more than just pissed if he found out he stole not just from one of the other kingdoms’ dignitaries but from one of their royals. A King, no less.  
He wondered if that was a good enough reason for a war to be declared. 

Alfred sat up, suddenly paling at the idea. He grimaced at the pin and almost jumped out of his skin and fell from the bed when he heard the knocking on the door. There was still a part of him that was too used at running on the streets and rooftops of the city was eager to go ahead and run, just in case Ivan had realized he had been robbed. 

He stayed and called out for the ones knocking to enter. If they wanted to take him or kill him, they would have had better luck if they had not knocked. Still, Alfred pocketed the pin and stared out of his window. 

Spade’s capital city of Litera was laid out in front of him, his home. He did not think that he’s ever left it. He didn’t think he’s ever seen it from this high either. Litera was a kind of terraced city and the palace was the highest vantage point from which to view it.

“Your highness?” Alfred turned to look at the servant’s who had come in with a smile. He thought they had simply come to drop off his lunch like always. It was strange how easily he had come to adjust to the idea of people simply bringing him food instead of stealing to buy some or helping out in the inn. “The Queen has asked us to help you prepare for the luncheon.” 

Alfred froze. “Luncheon?” 

“Yes, your highness,” the servant said in a patient tone. “It was arranged by the queen and all the royals and their escorts would be in attendance.” 

Alfred thought of King Ivan and the pin in his pocket felt heavy. “Shut up,” he said. 

“My pardon, your majesty?” 

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Alfred exclaimed. “I thought Artie said that the coronation was the hard part. I didn’t hear about a luncheon whatever. Also, that’s just a fancy way of saying lunch, isn’t it?” 

“It would be lunch then afternoon tea, your highness,” the servant said. “Shall I help you pick the proper attire? You can break your fast while we sort it out, your highness.” 

Alfred nodded and took his seat on the table where they have arranged the food. It was good food, like always. Alfred thought that the kitchen staff must place charms on the food or the plates to keep it always warm despite the long way to the kitchen. Even with something so common as food, the magic and artificing of Spades really amazed him. He really should ask Yao or Artie about it again. 

Alfred prodded at the bacon and eggs on his plate before he began to eat. He looked at the woman who was ordering the rest of the servants to prepare his bath and his clothes and whatever else he might need for the luncheon. It all seemed so much for lunch and afternoon tea. Then again, he remembered that he might already in trouble with one of the royals for stealing. 

“What’s your name?” Alfred asked her. Alfred brushed his hands through his hair, trying to make it look more presentable than what it had been since he woke up. There was still that ever present strand. “Sorry, I never asked before.” 

“It’s no matter, your highness,” she said with a slight bow. “My name is Virginia. Do you need your spectacles, your highness?” 

Alfred blinked and reached for his eyes. “Please,” he said with a laugh. “I’m still not quite used to them.” He took it from her as she passed it to him. “So, did Artie or Yao assign you to me or something? I feel like I’ve seen you since day one.” 

Virginia nodded. “Queen Arthur told me to take care of your highness.” 

Alfred snorted and finished the last of his meal. “Your highness,” he said with a wry smile. “I’m just a street kid, you know.” 

“That may be, your highness,” Virginia said, inclining her head respectfully. “But, today, you shall be king and spend your time with royalty.”

\-----

“You’re married!?” Alfred asked Arthur as he took the queen aside. He sounded incredulous and shocked even as his eyes roamed the garden to go back to the King of Diamonds that Arthur had just introduced him to. The garden was more beautiful in daylight, Alfred decided as he looked around. Still, there were more pressing matters at hand. “To the King of Diamonds?”

“It was a marriage of convenience,” Arthur said, softly. “Our parents arranged it since we were children. Francis and I rarely even see each other as we both have a kingdom to run.” 

“Still!” Alfred exclaimed. “I can’t believe you never told me.”  
Arthur gave him a dubious look. “Alfred, you were the one who told me time and again that you wanted only the things of utmost importance crammed into your head.” Arthur shook his head but there was an amused smile lifting the corner of his lips. “I did not think you would be interested in this.” 

“I feel so betrayed by you, Artie.” Alfred said. 

“Stop whining,” Arthur hissed. “Everyone’s looking. Seriously, Alfred, you’re acting like a child. I don’t remember ever having a son, certainly not one like you, and honestly, have no interest to.” 

Alfred frowned and knitted his eyebrows. “But, Yao said the position of queen was passed down your line.” 

Arthur looked pleasantly surprised that he knew that information. Alfred found a glimmer of pride in himself. The Queen looked away with a careless but graceful shrug. He fixed his coat that have become crooked after Alfred had grabbed at him. “My siblings can continue the family line. It doesn’t have to be someone directly descended from me.” 

Alfred opened his mouth then closed it again. He guessed there were a lot of things he didn’t know about the queen and Arthur’s comment had struck close to home. He was treating Arthur like a guide, like how Tino or the others had been for him back at the inn. It was someone to look to for help and maybe even Arthur had noticed that. 

He pressed his lips into a line. That wasn’t good. That was a weakness he couldn’t afford at the moment. “Alfred,” Arthur said and Alfred shook himself out of his thoughts. Arthur gave him a strange look before giving him a pat on the arm. “I meant no offense in keeping it from you, Alfred,” Arthur smiled. “Still, did anyone tell you not to play cards?” 

Alfred scowled at Arthur. “Maybe,” he said. “Why?” 

“Your emotions are plainly writ on your face,” Arthur said with a chuckle. “It might not serve you well as king.” 

Alfred crossed his arms and stared glumly at Arthur. “Oh yeah? I think a sincere king is a great one.” 

Arthur nodded and gave Alfred another pat on the arm. “You are learning but not enough just yet. I’m proud of you, Alfred.” Alfred flushed at the compliment and Arthur laughed. 

“I’ll be with Francis. It would do well for the other royals to see you stand on your own. Go talk to them and their dignitaries. Make allies and friends. Make use of that sincerity of yours.” 

With that, Arthur left him on his own. Alfred watched the Queen cross the garden to join the King of Diamonds where he had been admiring the roses. He saw them arguing for a moment, teasing no doubt, and Alfred felt the tinge of worry. He would never admit it but he was using the surprise of Arthur’s marriage as a way to avoid talking to the foreigners all around him. It was hard enough dealing with the nobles in Spades’ court. He was sure he would make more mistakes when dealing with someone from another country. 

The pin in his pocket felt heavier than ever. 

“Alfred,” a familiar voice said. 

Alfred whirled, snatching his hand away from his pocket and the pin as if it burned him. Gilbert looked at him with amusement in his red eyes. He looked, Alfred thought with a little incredulity, as if he was more real, more solid around the edges than the fleeting, almost fey man he kept encountering around the palace. He wore the same black and red colors that reminded the young king of the Hearts kingdom but the one who was holding on to Gilbert’s arm was a woman who wore the green and silver of the Empire of Clubs.

Alfred gulped and wondered if someone had noticed King Ivan’s missing accessory. “Are you alright, Alfred?” Gilbert asked with a smirk. “I’m awesome enough to let you be if you’re ill.” 

Alfred blinked and shook his head and waved his hands in the air in denial. “Nah, dude, I’m fine. Who’s the lady with you?” 

The lady in question pursed her lips. Alfred stared warily at the sword she still wore strapped on her back even over the elegant green dress she wore. Her hair was coiffed in the same way as any of the ladies at court and she wore the same beautiful jewels in addition to the sword but the hardness in her eyes betrayed her for something else entirely. This woman, Alfred thought, was someone who would not hesitate to take what she wants, who might even kill for it. 

“Allow me,” Gilbert said, inclining his head in respect. Alfred took note of the way he placed his hand over hers on his arm. “This is Queen Elizabeta of the Clubs Empire.” Gilbert turned his body slightly and Alfred realized another man had been following the pair. “And this is Roderich, Jack of Clubs.” Gilbert finished with a grin at Alfred before he gave the two with him a wink as if they were in on some secret Alfred wasn’t privy to. “This is King Alfred, the latest in Spades’ line of kings.” 

“Latest?” Roderich said in a crisp and proper accent that let Alfred know that this was someone who grew up in a royal court. He knew enough to recognize those who did in his own court. “Spades hasn’t had a king in more than a century now, I believe.” 

“Hush, Roderich,” Elizabeta said although she gave him a fond smile. She shared a look with Gilbert and Alfred felt a sudden ache in his chest. He missed his brother. He missed the others in the Nordic Cross Inn and how easy it could be to exchange a look with someone and know what the other meant. “Everyone knows about that. King Alfred doesn’t need to be reminded of it. What is it like being a king?” 

Alfred blinked, suddenly realizing that she had turned her attention back to him. It was disconcerting, Gilbert’s large grin and intense stare, the sword on her back, and the Jack of Clubs standing behind the two like some kind of chaperone. 

“It’s hard,” he admitted. “It’s a big leap, you know, going from the streets into the palace.” 

“I told you it was interesting,” Gilbert said and again, Alfred had a feeling of being left out. It was a conversation from another time that the three were continuing. “Elizabeta wasn’t born royal too.” Gilbert told Alfred. There was a hint of something in his eyes that made Alfred think he wasn’t saying everything there was to know. 

Elizabeta nodded. “I know how it feels.” 

Alfred was about to reply but he was distracted by the way that Gilbert had suddenly tensed. Alfred recognized it from his own experience. He saw the way Gilbert seemed suddenly attuned to all his senses, the way he cocked his head, and, especially, the way the other two seemed to react to it. Elizabeta moved in a way that let Alfred know she was ready to defend them if the need arose and Roderich placed a hand on Gilbert’s arm. 

Gilbert blinked and he seemed to go back to normal as he turned to Alfred with the same old smirk on his face. The other two still seemed tense but Gilbert ignored them as he stepped closer to Alfred, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning forward until he could whisper in Alfred’s ear without being overheard. 

Alfred was brought back to the day of the Trial, of running of and the first time he actually spoke to Gilbert. Or was it? Did they speak when Alfred had bumped into him in the square? “You should be careful,” Gilbert murmured. “Something’s coming and you’re not ready for it yet. I should give you the chance to return that thing in your pocket.” 

Alfred froze in surprised and cursed. He was going to push Gilbert away but before he could, the other man had already left, moving easily away from him and into the crowd. It seemed to be the same as any meeting with Gilbert goes. He came and went. Elizabeta gave a final nod and smile before she followed, lacing her hands with that of the Jack’s. 

“King Alfred.” Alfred thought of Gilbert’s words as the King of Clubs approached him. He turned to try and find the white-haired man and saw him arguing with one of the delegates from Hearts. “Am I interrupting anything?” 

“What?” Alfred said, dumbly. For a while there, he had been looking for escape routes around the garden, wondering how he would hide from the authorities while the heat of his crime cooled. 

“Your garden seems more beautiful in daylight,” Ivan said. 

It startled a laugh out of Alfred. It seemed incongruous with the scenarios in Alfred’s head, each one worse than the last. “It’s not my garden,” Alfred said, still laughing. 

“Ah, but people would say the King owns everything that lies inside his borders,” Ivan returned. “Although, some have thought differently.”

Alfred snorted. He thought about how much Artie would hate it if he had heard. It wasn’t a proper snort at all. He didn’t think anyone could make that proper. “That’s bullshit,”  
Alfred said. He bit his tongue and tried again. “The King should be a hero to the people.”

“Should,” Ivan murmured. Alfred noticed the knot of worry between his brows. He realized that Ivan wasn’t that much older than him, not really. Yet, Alfred thought grimly, there was still a world of difference. Ivan carried himself as a King, confident and powerful. Alfred had just been looking for escape routes moments ago. “I see. It is an interesting way to think about it.” 

“What do you mean by the other thing?” 

“Other thing?” 

“You said, some have thought differently,” Alfred said. “What do you mean by that?” 

“An old fairytale they tell children in Clubs, The Prince and the Lady of Summer,” Ivan said though he did not expound on his words beyond that.

A man approached them before Alfred could ask. Ivan inclined his head and turned to Alfred. “My general,” he said. The man looked harsh and cold, Alfred thought. He made Alfred want to run, suddenly remembering all the guards and officials he’d spent his childhood running from. Ivan didn’t seem to feel the same as he stepped closer to the general to listen to something. He tensed and turned to Alfred. “It seems I must cut this meeting short, King Alfred. I must leave to take care of something.” 

Alfred nodded and watched them go. He tried to look casual and placed his hands in his pockets. He froze and sucked a sharp breath through his teeth. He forgot to return the pin to Ivan.

\-----

Alfred hunched over the book on his desk and read through the basics of artificing. It was all interesting, even more so because he wasn’t supposed to have this book. Artie made a point that if he was to take something from the library, he had to check it out from someone. Alfred didn’t think they would like him diverting from his studies of the court and laws and other such boring things so he decided to just take it.

The book Yao gave him on fairy tales and legends still sat unread but for one story on his desk. Alfred thought of the joker in the tale. Somehow, it was strange yet familiar. He knew the Joker was one of the gods. If the Church was to be believed, the Joker was the only god that still walked among humanity. 

Alfred wasn’t sure if that was a comforting thought. Probably not. It seems you never know what you were getting into with the Joker. Kind of like Gilbert, Alfred thought remembering Gilbert’s strangeness from that afternoon. 

Alfred looked up at the knock on the door and called out for them to enter. Upon seeing Virginia, he grimaced. “Let me guess,” Alfred said wryly. “We’re having fancy dinner tonight. With the rest of the royals?” 

The maid’s lips curled into an amused smile. “You’re catching up fast, your highness,” she said. 

Alfred slipped the book he was reading inside his top drawer and turned to the servants with a sigh. “Well, let’s get this over with.”

\-----

Alfred was starting to wonder if anyone ever spoke what they wanted in these gatherings. Somehow, it felt as if everyone was saying one thing while they meant something entirely different. It was frustrating and Alfred made sure not to mess up too much with his proper dining etiquette in case Artie was watching.

It still felt strange to see Arthur with his husband. Alfred thought about what Arthur had told him about his marriage. A marriage of convenience. Alfred wondered if he had to marry someone for convenience as well. For duty to country. 

He hoped not. 

“You should visit,” The Queen of Hearts, Kiku, told Alfred. Alfred liked Kiku well enough. They had a good conversation about artificing and how Kiku had actually attended Spades’ well-known university before. He had told Alfred of a project he was working on in Hearts, some kind of work of engineering and artificing that would allow people to travel over land without the help of animals. He said the King of Hearts was helping him work on it as well. “You would be welcome to take a look at it, King Alfred.” 

“Really?” Alfred asked, excitedly. “Great, man! I’ll hold you to that promise.” 

Arthur cleared his throat and everyone fell silent as he stood at the end of the table. Technically, if Alfred was not as inexperienced as he was, he should have been sat there. They both agreed that it would cause less trouble for everyone involved if Arthur took the seat and led everyone for the dinner. Alfred could learn. He’ll learn until he was a proper king and he could stand properly with the rest of them. He will learn and he will see his family again. 

He will learn to speak in a way that would make everyone fall silent the way Arthur did just now. He swore it to himself. 

“I thank every person here for their attendance, for the respect and well wishes you have given to our kingdom and its new King,” The queen said as he looked at each of them.  
“May this mean that peace will reign for more years to come between our nations and that we would prosper as one. Joker’s Blessings be upon you and may his Tricks never find you.” 

He raised his glass to a toast just as everyone else did. Alfred swirled the wine in his glass and stared at it. He thought of the watered down back home and missed everyone terribly. He raised the glass to his lips just as someone exclaimed in worry.

Francis hovered over where Arthur was bent over the table, his hand trembling where it lay. Arthur’s wine had spilled, staining the tablecloth a darker blue. 

“Poison?” Someone gasped, aghast. 

Alfred heard the Jack of Hearts fretting close by as Kiku tried to settle him. Alfred was already standing, coming close to Arthur. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and he felt a chill around him as he reached them. Yao was already ordering them to seal the castle as Alfred reached Artie to lay a hand on his back. 

“What can we do?” Alfred asked, eyes seeking the older, more experienced King of Diamonds. Alfred thought of Arthur’s lessons and his awful cooking that one time and found that he had a certain fondness for the queen. He couldn't just let this happen but there was a feeling of helplessness in him, of chains that seemed to constrict him in every possible way. Now, more than ever, he was aware of how much he did not know, of how uncertain he was of his actions. 

“Alfred,” Arthur said as he drew himself up, suddenly looking for all the world as if he had never been poisoned. He was composed and confident. There was steel and ice in his green eyes that suddenly reminded Alfred of poison. People stopped speaking. They listened. Arthur was speaking. “Calm down. I’m fine.” 

Alfred frowned but stilled. He looked around the room where the different royals had stood up and was surrounded by their contingent of guards. The King of Spades became aware of what the Queen was trying to tell him. There was no way of hiding whatever weaknesses they showed here. 

Alfred nodded and watched as Arthur reassured everyone. Servants and guards had come in to escort the queen to his chambers and to make sure that the perpetrator would not escape. Alfred followed the almost-solemn procession to Arthur’s bedchambers, fretting but unable to show it. Francis was there as well and Alfred did not know what to make of the other king. He seemed just as calm and unperturbed as Arthur. He wondered how they did it. 

Francis turned to face Alfred just as they reached the hallway to Arthur’s bedchambers. “You should go,” the King of Diamonds said. “I will take care of Arthur.” 

“But,” Alfred protested only for Francis to hold a hand up. 

“We do not know who has done this. It could be one of the other kingdoms. It could be a citizen of your country. It could be anyone and they could try again.” Francis gave him a hard look and Alfred was more aware than ever before of how inexperienced he was compared to the other royals. “They could target you. We’d rather you be safe in your own rooms.” 

“I’m not a kid!” Alfred protested. “You don’t have to treat me like one.” 

“Alfred,” Francis warned. 

“What if they attack me in my rooms?” 

“Your sword will guarantee that no one would dare,” Francis said then he chuckled at the stunned look in Alfred’s face. “Do you really think Arthur had not noticed that you had taken the Empire’s most blessed object?” 

Alfred ducked his head, suddenly sheepish. “He’s not angry, is he?” 

“It’s rightfully yours, Alfred.” Francis said with a smile. “No one can argue with that.” 

“Alright, I’ll, ah, go. Tell me if anything changes with Artie?” 

At Francis’ nod, Alfred turned and left.

\-----

Alfred stared at the packed satchel in front of him. There was a part of him, the part that still dreamed of becoming an actual hero, of becoming the knights in the stories that he and Matthew used to dream of, that rebelled at the idea of running away. He thought of the way he had ran that first day when the sword first turned from darkness to gold. He turned back then. He stood his ground.

He knew that it was what he had to do now. Arthur had insulted him several times. He underestimated Alfred and treated him like a kid but Arthur did try. He tried his best to get Alfred ready, to teach him. 

It wasn’t right to just leave. 

But, Alfred didn’t want to die either. All this time and he still thought it would be a simple matter of learning the rules of a new game. It was just like in the street, a game with obstacles and clear goals. But, in the streets, you knew who to run away from. People who want to kill you would try to do so directly. It was much easier to beat an enemy that you knew, that you saw. 

Court was different. Everyone had their cards close to their chests. Arthur had said that everyone in court wore a mask. Yao had warned him to be friendly but be wary. It wasn’t rules Alfred was used. Alfred didn’t want to die simply because he couldn’t learn the rules of the game fast enough. 

He tried to tell himself that he wasn’t going to die, that Arthur was not going to die. They had the best healers in Spades. After all, the University was right here. All sorts of academics, healers and all that resided in the University. Arthur would be fine. Alfred wasn’t sure if he would be. Alfred was tired and frantic and it felt like he was fighting with shadows. 

It was just a break, he assured himself. He’ll be back and be a proper king. He just needed to go back to his home, his rightful home to remind himself of what this was all for. He nudged the satchel with his boot and curled his hand into a fist. This shouldn’t be this hard. 

“You’re leaving?” 

Alfred’s gaze snapped to the King that was leaning on his doorway. Alfred froze and his hand twitched for the sword under the bed. Instead, he reached for the dagger he’d hidden inside his coat. “How did you get here? There were guards outside.” 

“I am King. I have my ways.” Ivan said with a chuckle. His eyes flicked to the dagger Alfred held but he didn’t seem to feel the danger of it. Alfred felt like he should be insulted but he just gripped the dagger tighter. “Where are you going?” 

“None of your business,” Alfred snapped. “Are you here to kill me? Did you poison Arthur?” 

Ivan frowned. “I did nothing to harm your Queen.” 

“Uh-huh,” Alfred wrinkled his nose and pushed his glasses back. “That’s exactly what they would say.” 

“Who would say?” 

“The ones who did it, obviously,” Alfred rolled his eyes. “If you’re not here to kill me, why are you here then?” 

“We were friendly before,” Ivan said. “Why not now?” 

“Why?” Alfred changed his grip on the dagger as he stared at the other King. “Well, right now, someone poisoned our Queen and we don’t know who it is.” 

“Of course,” Ivan said like it was some simple matter that they were settling. He crossed his arms and smiled as he looked over Alfred, sizing him up in a way that made Alfred’s skin crawl, that made him think someone was looking down at him. The nobles in court stared at him in that way sometimes, like he was some oddity in the wrong place. His eyes flicked to his bag. Perhaps, he was. 

“I can’t trust you,” Alfred said but he sheathed the dagger and hid it once again. He sat on the bed. “Won’t they be looking for you?” 

“Elizabeta is quite capable.” Ivan answered. It didn’t really give Alfred much but he did remember the Queen he met and figured that she can handle her King disappearing. “I take it I’m not welcome anymore?” 

“Dude, no offense, but you are our country’s greatest enemy,” Alfred said with a sigh. 

“Ah, I understand.” Ivan laughed. “You remind me that your people can be pretty cold.” 

Alfred snorted. “I’m not the one whose country seems to always be in winter. I heard your general was even named Winter.” 

Ivan chuckled and his hand played with one end of the scarf he wore. “Ah, that is true,” he said but he gave Alfred a sharp look. “But, you should remember that it was Spades who stole summer from us.” 

“What?” Alfred scoffed. “What does that even mean!?” 

“Nothing, da?” Ivan said. He placed his hands behind his back like he was in some military stance. “Why would you believe your enemy?” Alfred glared and stood but by the time he reached the King of Clubs, he seemed to have disappeared in midair. 

“What the,” Alfred gaped and turned around, trying to find where the other had gone. There was no sign of him. Alfred sat back down on the four-poster bed, gripping the post. This place was driving him crazy. He grabbed the satchel and shouldered it. After a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed the sword and the books on his desk as well. 

It was only going to be for a while. He’ll be back.

\-----

The Prince and the Lady of Summer

_There was once a prince, fair and proud. He had everything he needed, everything he wanted. Still, it wasn’t enough. He needed more. More and more to fill his treasury. They say he was a Prince of Blue. Fitting, really, since he always seemed lonely despite everything he had. Cold and unforgiving. That was how his people saw him._

_They say that the prince asked the Joker for love because he learned that the Joker was the only one of the gods who listened to human wishes, because he read so much of love in the epics and legends, because it seemed right. Pity, that no one told him of the Joker’s love of tricks, of how you should never wish for something from him. He’ll use it against you._

_The prince traveled long and far to find the love that he wanted, to find the one who would make him feel. He found her, eventually. They called her the Lady of Summer and she brought warmth and joy to those in her land. She was beloved by the King of that great land and she loved him and the land that they ruled._

_But, the prince wanted her and love was an unreasonable mistress. The Joker’s farce was in play and the prince, who felt like he needed her, took her from her King and her great land and stole her away to his own kingdom. They say that when she left her King and land, the warmth and joy fled as well and Winter came as Summer was stolen._

\-----


	4. You Hover like a Hummingbird, Haunt Me in My Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this took longer than I thought and I'm still not entirely satisfied but I hope people enjoy. ;)

\-----

On the Birth of Two Empires:

_A fragment from a letter written by a soldier during the Black Jack Wars_

> _“….in the hopes that this letter will find you in good health. I have seen the worst of people, it seems. It never seems enough for anyone. The Queen of Clubs wishes to avenge the death of her King and the King of Spades is ever willing to back her. It seems so obvious to everyone that we are witnessing the birth of an era, the birth of two great empires. Diamonds has fallen. I wonder if this is another one of the Joker’s games that we are playing. I hope not. None of those games ever end well, it seems. My dear, I have missed you. I will be home soon and the war will be over. This will be the last time I would have to write to you, I hope. The next words you shall hear from me, you shall hear in my voice…”_

\-----

“I can’t believe you ran away from the palace, Alfred!” Matthew hissed as they entered their shared bedroom in the inn. Alfred had received a rather confused welcome when he arrived at the inn, maybe because none of them had expected him.

“I didn’t run,” Alfred protested, whirling to face his brother. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, untangling the strands and trying to smooth down his stubborn cowlick to no avail. He threw his satchel on the bed and sat down. A part of him noted the difference of this bed to the one he left behind in the palace. Silk sheets were replaced by cotton and the feather down mattress replaced by straw. 

Matthew gave a dubious look that said he knew the game Alfred was playing. “Peter would be devastated when he wakes up tomorrow. He said he wanted you to show him the palace.” 

“I told you, I didn’t run away.” Alfred bit his lip and looked straight at his twin. “I’ll go back.” 

Matthew crossed his arms over his chest. “Alfred,” he said. “You look tired, you know. Maybe this is for the best, eh? You said you weren’t made to be a king when we left you in the palace.” 

“Maybe I changed my mind,” Alfred said with a smirk. He let it fall and frowned instead. He stared at a spot on the floor that looked scorched. He remembered how he had accidentally done that when he and Mattie first made the inn their home. “Beside, heroes don’t run.” 

“You’re not a hero, Alfred,” Matthew said. He sat beside Alfred and laced his fingers between his knees as he leaned forward. “Maybe I don’t want you to be. Heroes die.” 

“They live through stories.” Alfred refused to look at Matthew. He wasn’t sure what he was going to find. He had left his brother even when they promised to always stay together. Of course, if he had brought Matthew to the palace, then maybe he would have been threatened by the same people who poisoned Arthur. Alfred wouldn’t have wanted that either. “People need a hero though. I’ll come back because people might need me. Artie might.” 

“Artie?” Matthew asked. 

“Queen Arthur,” Alfred whispered softly. He looked at his brother then and their eyes met. Alfred gave a wry smile. “You know, I thought we had it rough in the streets. Turns out being royal isn’t too different,” he whispered. “People still want to kill me, except they got to Arthur first.” 

There was a panicked look in Matthew’s eyes and Alfred watched as he narrowed his eyes in worry. “Someone tried to kill you?” 

“Someone tried to kill the queen,” Alfred said. He pressed his palm on his forehead and sigh. “Maybe the king is still too much of an idiot for them to try with him.” 

“Don’t go back then,” Matthew snapped. “You’re not going to go back if you’re going to die!” 

“Says who?” 

“I don’t want you to die, Alfred.” 

“And I’m not going to,” Alfred said. He was determined not to die. He had to make sure the people he cared for were safe and dying would not achieve that. It would not achieve anything at all. “I just need to find out who did it to Artie because whoever did it might do something horrible to the kingdom.” 

“And what if they do it to you?” 

“That’s why I left,” Alfred laughed but there wasn’t any mirth in it. “If I had stayed there, I’d be too busy being paranoid to think. Help me, Mattie, please? Arthur was like a brother to me there too. Kinda like Lukas and Tino and the others here. I can’t just abandon him.” 

Matthew sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there was resignation there, a kind of knowledge that said he knew Alfred wasn’t going to give up on something once he’s set his mind to it. “Alright,” he said. “Where do we start?”

\-----

“Alfred is missing?” Arthur frowned over the glass of water in his hand. Yao stood by the bed, shifting restlessly. He looked tired, the queen thought, and Arthur felt guilty about leaving their Jack to take care of everything. “Did he go or was he taken?”

“There were no signs of struggle anywhere,” Yao replied. He pressed his lips into a line and Arthur wondered at what else had happened in his absence for a King to run away. Maybe, it wasn’t a lot. Alfred wasn’t just a king, after all. He was barely an adult and this wasn’t something he would have been used to. Yao shook his head. “We still can’t be sure of anything.” 

“We can’t keep the royals here,” Arthur said. He grimaced. “Even though it’s possible this was all orchestrated by one of them.” 

“We have no proof, Arthur,” Yao sighed, pressing his fingers on his temples and rubbing them. “The Hearts delegation is already planning on leaving by tomorrow. Francis as well. They cannot just leave their countries unattended for Spades’ sake. We should focus on looking for Alfred.” 

“What about Clubs? Have they gone?” Arthur asked. 

“Do you suspect them, Arthur?” 

Arthur sighed and closed his eyes. “Yes. No. Maybe,” he groaned and pressed the heel of his palms over his eyes. “I don’t know. They’re the most likely suspects.” 

Yao grimaced. “We cannot start a war on presumptions.” 

“We’re avoiding a war at all costs, Yao,” Arthur said, determined. He clenched his hand over the sheets on his lap. “Not with Alfred missing.” 

“Shall I send out a search party?”

Arthur finished his glass and placed it on the bedside table. He stared at a stain on the sheet covering him, wondering if it was blood or something more innocuous like tea. “We cannot publicize his disappearance. People will panic.” Arthur covered the stain with a hand and closed his eyes before facing his Jack directly. “But, we do need to find him. Do what you think is best.” 

“I shall send out some people who can discrete then.” 

Arthur nodded. “Alright, so what do we do about this?”

\-----

Matthias dealt a blow with his sword and Alfred barely raised his own just in time to block it. There was a large grin on the older man’s face and before Alfred could do anything else, Matthias had stepped back. He came back at Alfred in full force, never relenting, never hesitating and Alfred was barely keeping up. If he was, at all.

Alfred tried to block another blow with his sword only for it to be knocked away and to find a blade pointed right at him. “Got you,” Matthias said in a joking tone and Alfred grimaced. He rubbed at a spot behind his neck as he watched Matthias fetch the fallen sword. 

“I’m not very good at this, huh?” Alfred said, chuckling. “I think I still prefer the guns Tino taught me to use.” 

Matthias laughed and shifted both of the practice swords in one hand. He pointed his finger at Alfred with the other. “But, that thing from the palace is not a gun, is it?” 

“I’m a thief, not a soldier.” 

“You’re a king,” Matthias said. Then, the man snorted and smirked at him. “A runaway king who decided that this little hovel of ours was better than the Royal palace.” 

“What do you have to say for yourself, Alfred?” 

Alfred whirled around at the unexpected sound of Lukas’ voice behind him. Lukas stood calmly with his hands behind his back. Alfred stepped back warily. Lukas was staring at him in a disconcerting way that made Alfred think that Lukas knew Alfred was hiding something. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alfred stammered, raising his hands in surrender. 

“I didn’t say anything yet,” Lukas said with a small twist of the mouth that might have been a smile. “Not really. Tino says dinner is ready. You should help set the table, Alfred. Your brother is in there too.” 

Alfred knew a dismissal when he heard one. Still, it surprised him. He expected Lukas to press the matter and to try and get answers from him. He hasn’t told them. He tapped his fingers on his thigh as he thought of that. Besides his brother, he hasn’t told anyone why he left the palace exactly. 

“You want me to go?” 

Lukas gave him an expectant look and Alfred threw one last look over his shoulder to see Matthias and Lukas with their heads bent together, discussing in low tones. He wondered what they were discussing that somehow got Alfred off the hook for now. 

He didn’t like the implication of any of it.

\-----

Matthias glanced at where Alfred had disappeared into the backroom of the tavern. He turned his gaze towards Lukas and asked, “So? I thought you wanted to know why he returned.”

Lukas shook his head. “Alfred won’t talk until he’s ready. Let Tino fuss over him.” Lukas wasn’t looking at Matthias but at somewhere farther away, someplace somewhen else maybe. “I know why Alfred is here instead of there.” 

“You do?” 

“The Queen,” Lukas answered. He placed his hand on top of the fence that surrounded the backyard of the tavern. The wood was still warm from the sun under his hand. The last bit of the setting sun can be seen from beyond the rooftops of the houses and establishment surrounding them. They turned the sky red and gold, gold like the glittering crowns of the royals, gold like the treasures, gold like the Empire’s sword, gold light and the blue of the sky that reminded Lukas so much of Spade’s colors, all dyed with red.

“The Queen?” Matthias frowned. Absently, he laid the sword to rest on the fences and looked to the same direction Lukas was facing. They couldn’t see it now, covered as it was by the other buildings and separated from them by the river that striked its way across the city but the palace lay beyond, in the west. “Arthur? What could Arthur have done?” 

“It is not a question of what the Queen has done,” Lukas said. He crossed his arms and turned away from the direction of the palace. The red of the sky was eerie, he thought. It was not a good omen for things to come. “It was what has been done to our Queen.” 

“What has been done?” Matthias sighed. “Just tell me what happened.” 

“Arthur was poisoned. So they say,” Lukas took up one of the practice swords, shifting it from one hand to the other. He met Matthias’ eyes. “We are on the brink of war. You realize that, right?” 

“Has the Queen called for you?” 

“I doubt my old friend even realizes my connection to the empire’s new King,” Lukas said. “Arthur doesn’t know we came back to Spades. It’s better that way.” 

“He’ll find out sooner or later,” Matthias blew out a breath and made a noise of frustration. “What about Alfred?” 

“What about him?” 

“Is he in danger?” 

“He’s the first King of Spades in centuries,” Lukas said and he gave a hollow laugh. He held out a hand and Matthias wondered if Lukas was seeing something that was invisible to Matthias. Like he always has been. “What do you think?” 

“We’ll protect him, right?” 

“It’s war,” Lukas said, his expression unreadable once again. “We can’t promise anything.”

\-----

After dinner, Alfred had Tino take him aside to help wash the dishes. While they did the chore, they talked and Alfred, for a moment, was certain that he was about to be interrogated. Tino did ask questions but it was not about the reasons of Alfred’s flight from the palace. The questions seemed easy enough. How was the palace? Did Alfred enjoy it? How did he sleep, eat, and amused himself? Did he have any interesting stories?

Alfred found himself talking about all the things that made living in the palace wonderful. He told Tino about Arthur’s insistence to propriety. He told him about how Yao had showed him one of the Artificers’ Workshops in the palace, about the library. He told Tino about the Queen’s disgusting cooking. He told him about the white-haired soldier he befriended. He told him about the coronation. 

Alfred talked about almost everything but it wasn’t until they were almost done that he realized he was holding something back, skirting around the subject until it took an undeniable physical presence in his story by the time he reached the coronation. 

He refused to talk about Ivan and the Empire of Clubs. He refused to acknowledge the possibility of war, the possibility that Ivan had lied to him and betrayed him. 

It was still on his mind as he left the tavern’s proprietor to meet with his twin brother. “Alfred?” Matthew had asked the moment Alfred had entered the room. Matthew looked at him in worry. “Is there anything wrong? Did you figure something out?”

“Figure what out, Mattie?” 

Matthew sighed and gave him an exasperated look. “It’s the reason you ran off, right? To figure out what’s happening in the palace?” 

“Right,” Alfred laughed, nervously. It felt like being haunted by a presence and he thought of how the other King had simply disappeared from his room in the palace. Like a ghost. Alfred shuddered. “Nah, haven’t found anything.” 

“Alfred,” Matthew said, his lips pressing in a line. “You know, the delegates have all left the capital by now. If it was one of them, there’s no way of doing anything anymore. Not unless we go to war.” 

“No!” Alfred cried vehemently. “We’re not going to war. Even Arthur agrees that that’s a bad idea.” 

“Alfred,” Matthew said in a soft voice. He looked down at his hands and whispered in the space between them. “You cannot stop war from happening. We know that better than anyone.” 

Alfred slumped on his bed and glared at the scorched mark on the floor. “I don’t want to lose anyone else in a war.” 

“You really want to be a hero like our dad, Al?” Matthew asked with a slight tilt to his head. 

Alfred shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s been so long. It seems stupid now.” 

Matthew gave him a sad smile. “It’s not stupid,” Matthew said. “But, I’m scared, Al. I’m scared for you. Heroes sacrifice so much of themselves. Kings have to as well as you told me. I don’t want to lose you.” 

Alfred snorted and smiled at his twin. “Come on, Mattie,” he said. “Why are we being so depressing right now? Let’s just figure out what we can then we can go back to the palace together. Like we promised.” 

Matthew crossed the room and sat down beside Alfred. He nudged Alfred and they bumped their fists while laughing and laying about. “Got your back, Al.” 

“Got your back, Mattie.” Alfred said with a wide grin. 

Their grins matched as they finally went to work, looking at the information Alfred had written out. They really weren’t working efficiently, Matthew thought. They didn’t have all the information with them there and there was so much that was hidden, probably even from those in the palace. Still, they made a promise when they lost their parents and Matthew wasn’t going to let his brother down.

They’ll find a way. They always have. “Always,” Matthew whispered as he watched Alfred’s hand linger over the sword hidden under his bed before he finally retrieved the books that they might use.

\-----

Perhaps, Arthur thought, as he stared down at the sharp point of the blade pointed at him, that they should have expected this. He felt a certain amount of confidence from the fact that, at least, Alfred had decided to leave after the whole poisoning fiasco, that Alfred had decided to take the sword with him.

“Well, is this a declaration of war, General Winter?” Arthur stared at the general, standing in his room. He felt sick at the sight of the guards who were lying in a pool of their own blood by the threshold of the suite. He forced his expression to remain neutral as he faced his possible murderer and forced his hands to remain steady as he reached for the tea on his bedside table. 

There had been guards with the Clubs’ general when he had entered but he had dismissed them. Arthur had no doubt they’d be waiting outside and wondered if he could get away with killing the general and several other soldiers. Would it change anything?

He poured a cup, keeping the general in his sight, and sipped. “Well? Are you to murder me on orders from your King?”

“Our people would have secured the whole castle by now,” the General said and Arthur hoped that his people had been smart enough to surrender if the Clubs had used force far greater than theirs. “But, King Ivan told me that your King would be missing. So, I think we’ll be keeping you alive for further questions, your highness.” 

“Is that so?” Arthur glared. “And of your king? Will he not even come to state his own intentions?” 

“Ah, but Spade is such a large country,” the General said. “There are things to be done to proclaim our occupation of it.” 

“Our soldiers will not simply roll over and let you take this kingdom.” 

“Your soldiers, your people, will stand down if you tell them to do so.” 

“And why will I do that?” Arthur asked, irked. He slammed the cup on the table before he might hurl it towards the man. He was aware enough of his situation not to antagonize his captor, to know that there was little he could do in his current situation. 

“Unless you want us to raze your city to the ground, I think you’ll find it to your advantage to cooperate, your highness.” 

Arthur thought of the kingdom, of Alfred somewhere in it. He was fairly sure Alfred has not left the city yet. He wished Alfred would leave before the Clubs inevitably place the kingdom on lockdown. He wished, for all the world, that he was doing the right thing as he gave the general a nod. 

The kingdom was falling and Arthur could not help but think that it was his fault.

\-----

Alfred woke up to his brother’s frantic voice and he clawed his way out of his dreams. He thought that he might have gotten a glimpse of Ivan in them, a memory, perhaps, of the night they spent together touring the gardens of the palace on Alfred’s coronation.

“Alfred!” 

“I’m up, alright, I’m up. What’s wrong?” 

“There’s a guy downstairs,” Matthew explained, one hand hesitating before he holds Alfred’s shoulder in a tight grip. There was a hardness in his eyes that Alfred never saw before. Matthew was the kinder one, the gentle one. There had always been a reason why it was Alfred who took care of them, at least, Alfred thought, there was before. 

“A guy?” 

“A young man with white hair,” Matthew sighed and rubbed at his eyes. It was still dark outside, Alfred realized as he glanced at the small broken part of their window. “He said he knows you’re here and that you have to leave. Berwald and Tino’s talking to him. I just happened to hear and went straight here. Do you know who he is, Al?” 

Alfred pressed his lips in a line, realizing that he really only knew one person with white hair. “It’s Gilbert, I think,” Alfred said. “He’s from the palace. Does he want me to go back?” 

Matthew shook his head and a part of Alfred noted that his twin had allowed his hair to grow long enough to be tied with a band. Matthew did not and it fell over his eyes. Alfred reached for his glasses on the table as they both were startled to hear a knock on the door. 

It was Tino. “Alfred?” The innkeeper said after the knocks. “There’s someone here for you.” 

“Be right there!” Alfred called out and looked at his brother. “What do you mean he doesn’t want me to go back?” 

“He said you had to leave the kingdom right away.” Matthew said, worry lacing his tone. “Alfred? What is happening?” 

“I don’t know,” Alfred confessed. “Come with me?” 

Matthew nodded and they moved as one. It wasn’t Berwald or Tino who was with Gilbert when they appeared in the front room of the inn. Lukas leaned by the bar, polishing the bone-handled knife that he often used for hunting and spellwork. Matthias was poised across a table from Gilbert, towering over him in a way that made Alfred think that they had just interrupted a threat coming from his lips. 

Gilbert and Lukas looked at the twins when they arrived but Matthias kept his gaze at the white-haired man. Matthias hand kept going to the axe he had by his side that was leaning on the table. 

“Alfred,” Gilbert said, nodding at him in greeting. “You should get ready to leave.” 

“Why?” 

“Why?” Gilbert sighed. “It wouldn’t be long before they find you. You’re lucky you got away like you did. Don’t let yourself be trapped now.” 

“Trapped?” 

“I’ll explain things on the way,” Gilbert stood up and tried to get to Alfred only to find his way blocked by Matthias. He glared at the man before he grinned and turned to Alfred. “We need to go.”

“Hey,” Matthias said, grabbing Gilbert by the arm and hauling him back. “You don’t get to tell us what to do without any explanation.” 

“Matthias,” Lukas said. He didn’t raise his voice but Matthias still stopped as if someone had snapped at him. “He has his reason. Someone has made a move, haven’t they?” Lukas asked of Gilbert. 

Gilbert nodded. He looked from Matthias to Lukas and there was a spark of something almost terrifying in his eyes even as he stepped back and sat down. “I don’t need a thief and hunter, or a woodworker but I’m sure Alfred could use some soldiers.” 

“What?” Alfred asked, confused, but he was stopped by Matthew’s hand on his shoulder. Gilbert and Matthias was still staring, challengingly, at each other. 

Lukas scoffed. “I’m no soldier,” he said as he sheathed his knife and straightened from his position by the bar. “But, you’re right. We’re not letting Alfred go alone.” 

“Wait, wait, guys, this is all happening too fast. What the hell!?” Alfred looked at all of them. “You’re acting weird and going somewhere? Where the hell are we going?” 

Gilbert laced his fingers together on the top of the dark wood of the inn’s table and gave a sharp and brilliant smile. “Where? The Kingdom of Diamonds, of course. They’re Spade’s greatest allies.”

\-----

_The Joker’s Folly_

_There is a tale that goes this way: once, there was a man so confident in his abilities to lie and cheat that he believed he could pretend to be a god and none would be the wiser. No man or deity would question his right to be worshiped and none would ever know. So, the man traveled all over the land, granting wishes and doling out curses with deceit and lies, until people called him a mortal god._

_They built temples to his name and offered riches beyond compare. Still, it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t their regard the liar craved but that of the god’s. He wanted to fool them and make them welcome him as one of their own._

_Some say he courted a goddess until she relented and married him so earning him a place among their ranks. They said he tricked another god into giving him their divinity. They said he charmed the king of the gods himself until the king deemed him worthy enough to be granted a boon. Some say he stole summer itself and made Summer give him everlasting youth._

_But, it does not matter how he gained entrance to their world. What remains is this: the Joker cheated and lied until he got his way but when he reached their very home of the gods found it boring and not to his liking. They say he started a war. They say he stole from the very gods and was banished._

_And so, the Joker remains the only god left to walk the mortal world. Somehow, someway, through trick or war, he had managed to weaken the gods and leave them to their world. But, though he had gained divine status, the joker was still mortal. He was bound to die. By cutting himself off from the realm of the gods, he has made sure that he could never gain the gods’ everlasting life._

_The story that is the truth that no one ever knows is this: the Joker is dead and the Joker is alive. The mantle is passed on and the Joker is never the same. But, to say so, would be the greatest blasphemy. So, hush, keep this secret close to your heart. You never know, the Joker’s mantle may pass on to you or you may encounter one who has stolen it for themselves._


	5. An Empire for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is a time for patience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and reviewed. I really appreciate it. Hope I don't disappoint you. 
> 
> And sorry for the horrid try at poetry for the nursery rhyme.

\-----

_Taken from the Diary of a Princess of Clubs, Maria Sophia Edelstein:_

> _...It does not surprise me that he would choose the way he did. My King is stubborn and he will not be persuaded otherwise. I do not speak of the King that my grandfather serves, that I will have to serve in the future. The King of Clubs is wise and experienced and nothing like the spitfire that is the King of Hearts. My White King. He will be the death of me. Still, this ritual he speaks of has me thinking of the relics that we hold in our hands. The Kingdoms rely on them but we have lost so much of our knowledge of them. Perhaps, I shall compile a compendium about it. That will be something to do. I have already found a good way to begin it, an old nursery rhyme that my mother had used to sing for me,_
> 
> _Hearts and Cups will bind and tell,_  
>  But one should not foretell  
>  Diamonds and Coins will bring you gifts,  
>  Be careful of the rifts,  
>  Spades and Swords will cut and rend,  
>  There are things that cannot mend  
>  Clubs and Wands will bring Dreams  
>  But nightmares await at the seams  
>  The Joker’s gifts will give you this and more  
>  Listen, listen to the lore 
> 
> _I feel I am more worried about my King than ever. But, I trust him. He will be remembered by all..._

\-----

They camped out for the night and Alfred took the first watch with Gilbert. He could tell that the others felt suspicious of the white-haired man but Alfred felt strangely relaxed around Gilbert. Then again, it felt like it wasn’t the first time Gilbert have helped him.

“Why are we running?” Alfred asked, glancing at the other man. Gilbert was running a whetstone over the blade of his sword. The fire glinted over the strange, almost-transparent metal of Gilbert’s sword. The white hilt looked pristine and the crossguard, Alfred noticed, was shaped like a bird’s wings. 

“They want you dead,” Gilbert said, his mouth twisting in a sneer. He stuck his sword on the ground and pocketed the whetstone. “The General would have your head in a pike over the city walls of Litera. Do you want that?” 

“We can fight them, should fight them, right?” 

Gilbert laughed. “Joker, Alfred, do you think you’ll win?” He shook his head and flicked a finger at the jewel adorning the pommel of his sword. “Joker’s tricks, you’re so young. You still think you’re invincible.” 

Alfred fought against the part of him that wanted to snap and lash out at Gilbert. The man was trying to help him. It wouldn’t do to throw that in his face. “I didn’t mean that!” Alfred protested. “I’m not stupid! I’m not a soldier. I won’t win against them.” Then, he smirked and leaned back. “Not in a fair fight, at least.” 

“Oh?” Gilbert mirrored his smirk. “Not planning to play fair, are you?” 

Alfred shrugged. “Sometimes, that’s the only way to win.” 

“That’s not the way a king should be,” Gilbert chastised but the grin on his face told Alfred it was nothing more than a joke. 

“There’s no crown on my head, is there?” 

“A king doesn’t need a crown,” Gilbert said, staring intently at the fire. The reflection of it looked strange in Gilbert’s already red eyes. “But, a crown is nothing without a ruler.” 

“That’s stupid.” 

“Is it? It’s not really my words though,” Gilbert said. “Why is it stupid, Alfred?” 

“A crown is nothing?” Alfred laughed. He seemed to remember that the others were still asleep and stopped. “I could think of a lot of things I could buy by selling a crown.” 

Gilbert smiled and took up his sword, checking the blade once again before sheathing it. “Never change, Alfred. There’s a lot about you that the world won’t expect.” 

Alfred’s eyebrows creased. “Sounds like you’re expecting it.” 

“What can I say? I’m just that awesome,” Gilbert said with a careless shrug. “Besides, you’re one of the best pieces I’ve put in play.” 

“What?” 

“Never mind me. I’m rambling. Getting old, I think.” Gilbert groaned as he rolled his shoulders and reached a hand to rub at his back. He tilted his head to look at the dark sky above them. “Get some sleep, Al. I’ll wake the others up for next watch. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us tomorrow.”

\-----

They rode for a long while, days passing through small villages and open fields. Once, they passed through a coastal town and Alfred and Matthew followed Gilbert to see him send a message through a ship. It was easy enough to pry open the doors to the shipping office, to find out that the ship was headed to Clubs and to doubt.

There was always doubt in his mind since he had become king. Alfred thought that it was something he never wanted to get out of his life. 

“If you want to know something, just ask me.” Gilbert told him when they shared the watch once again. Alfred’s eyes flicked to him but he did not let his gaze linger. Somehow, he was not surprised that Gilbert knew about what he and Matthew did. 

Gilbert did not say anything more than that. No explanation or excuses or anything. Just that. 

He’d stopped being surprised about a lot things since he’s become king. He wasn’t sure what to feel about that. 

Whenever they stopped for the night, Matthias helped Alfred improve with the sword. Sometimes, the others watched them. Matthew didn’t want to learn and Gilbert had smiled like he was sharing a secret with the universe and simply claimed that Matthew wasn’t meant to be a warrior anyway. He had called Matthew a shadow and all Alfred could think of was how much better Matthew had always been at larceny. 

Alfred used to sulk about that but since he’s been king, there hasn’t been much use for the skillset of a thief. Not if he wanted to be the proper king Arthur had been hoping for. Alfred thought it was stupid and now, he was out of practice. So, on the days when they stopped riding for a few moments, he asked Lukas to practice with him like they did when he and Matthew were children. 

He didn’t know how much he missed it. 

On the seventeenth day since they’ve left the capital of Spades, Gilbert announced that they might reach Diamonds soon. After that, it was two more days to the capital of the kingdom, the city of Denari. 

Somehow, Alfred found himself looking forward to it. He has never been out of the country before, never got to travel before he became king. Maybe it was only fair that some good things came from being chosen as well. 

Maybe, there were still things to be thankful for. He would have to remember to not curse the Joker so much later on.

\-----

The city gates rose above them and Alfred gaped at the grandeur. Even Litera had not looked so grand. Gilbert pulled the reins of his horse and waited until he and Alfred were side by side instead of having Gilbert lead them like he had been doing all along. There was a tension in Gilbert’s shoulder that was not there before. Alfred did not like it.

“They’ll be expecting us,” Gilbert said. Alfred did not ask how he knew. In the days since they left the Empire, since they left Litera, Alfred has learned not to question anything about Gilbert. It was easier to accept things as they were. 

“Who?” Alfred asked. 

“The royals of Diamond,” Gilbert gazed at a distance and Alfred thought he could see the towers of what may be the palace at the heart of the city. 

“Did you send a message?” 

“Before we even left Litera,” Gilbert replied. “But, that’s not what I mean, these are dangerous times. Francis would know to keep his guard up. We passed border guards too. I don’t doubt they’ve told their King.” 

“The Queen and Jack weren’t there,” Alfred said, gripping the reins of his own horse tightly in his hand. “In Spades. During the coronation. I don’t think I was introduced.” 

“The Queen doesn’t usually leave the kingdom. She keeps their relic, after all. Like you do for Spades.” 

“It’s not Francis who does?” 

Gilbert laughed. “Francis inherited his position. All the kings of Diamond do. He’ll be the one you have to convince.” 

“Convince of what!?” Alfred cried aghast. He hadn’t been aware that there would be anything he’d have to do. Gilbert had only said that they would seek refuge in this kingdom. 

“That you had nothing to do with his husband being captured by Clubs,” Gilbert grimaced. “And that you didn’t flee for your own sake alone.” 

Alfred glared at Gilbert. “You were the one who told me to run.” 

“I mean, there’s a reason I haven’t left you yet and it’s not just because I’m awesome like that,” Gilbert said and he glanced at the three trailing behind them. “I don’t think your family trust me quite yet.” 

“I’m not sure I do either,” Alfred muttered. 

Gilbert glanced at him and Alfred saw something change in his expression but it was gone when Alfred tried to figure what it was about. “Good,” Gilbert said as he urged his horse ahead. “There might be hope for you yet.”

\-----

The queen was waiting for them when they finally reached the palace. She was younger than Alfred thought. She almost doll-like as she stood with her hand curled around a jewel around her neck. She smiled as Alfred and the others dismounted to approach her.

It was Gilbert, as always, who led the way. He knelt in front of her and kissed the back of her hand. “Queen Lili,” he greeted with a smile. “Let me introduce King Alfred of Spades.” 

Alfred was not quite sure what to do for a moment. Then, Arthur’s training kicked in and he bowed in respect. “Nice to meet you, your Highness.” 

“I heard about what happened to your kingdom.” She said as she took his hands in her own small ones. “We will help as much as we can. Gilbert sent a message ahead of time and we’ve been waiting for you. I’m sure the King has some questions as well but you’ve been travelling for a while. I think you deserve to rest, don’t you?” 

“Uh,” Alfred hesitated, glancing at the others close behind him. “Sure?” 

The Queen only smiled as if she understood his hesitance. Maybe she did. Alfred thought she looked kind and sweet and he hadn’t thought of that about anyone he’s encountered since he had become king. “The servants will show you to your room. You may join us for dinner later. We would like to hear about what happened.” 

Alfred glanced at Gilbert, remembering the earlier warning about the King of Diamonds. Still, Francis had not been bad to Alfred when they met before. “But, what about Fra-I mean, the king?” 

“You can see him later,” The queen told him. “For now, he has a job to do and you need to rest, your highness.” 

Alfred nodded and let himself be led away to enter another palace. He tried not to think of another palace he had entered once before and what had happened to it. He tried not to think about Arthur, or Yao, or even the servants like Virginia, who would surely be in danger while they were under another’s control. He wanted to think he was doing the right thing right now. 

He wasn’t sure though. How was he going to convince Francis like that?

\-----

“I already told your king and general that I have nothing to say about the matter,” Arthur said as he glanced at the Queen of Clubs that has entered his rooms. He turned another page in his book and the spell keeping his spoon stirring his tea suddenly stopped with a soft clink.

The other queen did not speak until Arthur raised his eyes from his book and met her own. “I’m not here to interrogate you,” she said. “I was hoping we could just talk. They didn’t hurt you, did they?” 

“No,” Arthur’s grip on the book tightened and he forced himself to relax once again. They did not hurt him but the threat had definitely been there. He had to keep reminding himself that it was not just him they could harm but the rest of the kingdom too.

“Well, don’t worry. I’m just here to talk.” 

“Are you?” Arthur answered, probably colder than he usually would. Then again, she still was one of his captors. 

“He’s safe, you know,” Elizabeta said as she took the seat across the Queen of Spades. “Your commoner king.” 

“If you know that, then why have you not gone after him yet?” 

Elizabeta poured a cup of tea for herself, ignoring the glare from Arthur. She took her time, mixing some honey with it before sipping it slowly. She glanced at Arthur who watched her with something so intense in his eyes. She understood then, what the Jack of Spades had meant when he said that the current Queen was probably one of the strongest Spades has ever known. 

“I don’t like what we’re doing right now,” she admitted. 

“Stop it then,” Arthur said although by the grimace on his face, she could tell that even he knew there were more things at play here than what any of them desired. “Who’s plan was it? Your king’s?” 

“Not my secret to share,” Elizabeta said. “You know, he’s quite interested in Alfred.” 

Arthur froze. He stopped pretending he was still interested in his book, placing it on the table. “Who is?” 

“Ivan,” Elizabeta answered. “It’s strange.” 

“Alfred’s not the type to let himself be controlled by anyone,” Arthur said with a fond smile. 

“So I heard,” the other queen said with a laugh. “Oh well, that makes it more interesting, doesn’t it?”

\-----

Alfred was aware of the people watching as he tried to get past Matthias’ guard. He attacked, trying to break through the other’s defense. It wasn’t fair. The sword wasn’t even Matthias’ weapon but he was making it look easy. Alfred grinned as he finally managed to knock away the other’s guard, pointing the sword at him.

“That was good, Alfred,” Matthias said with a laugh, patting Alfred on the head like he always did. “You’re getting better.” 

“You’re just saying that,” Alfred said, frowning at his sword. “It still doesn’t feel right.” 

“Then change it,” Gilbert said, approaching the other two. He looked like he just finished with his own practice. “You’re the master of the Sword. It will shape itself according to what you want.” 

“What? I don’t know how.” 

“Just think about it,” Gilbert said. Without waiting or saying anything else, Gilbert attacked. Alfred raised the sword in defense, stumbling back at the force of the swing. Gilbert snickered but he did not let up with his onslaught of attacks, the blows raining down on Alfred and it took everything in him just to keep up. Alfred was pretty sure Gilbert was still holding back even then. 

“Come on, Alfred, you can do it,” Gilbert called out and Alfred yelped as he felt the dulled blade of Gilbert’s sword on his arm. He dropped the sword, briefly wondering if there was some punishment on dropping what was supposed to be a holy relic from the Joker. Alfred glared at the other man in front of him. “What? You won’t improve unless we keep pushing you.” 

“Shut up, Gil!” Alfred said as he attacked the other. Gilbert laughed as he parried an overhand strike by Alfred. He turned until he was behind Alfred and tapped the boy lightly on the back with the sword. Alfred groaned in frustration. 

“Change the sword, Alfred.” Gilbert said. “You’re still using your namesake’s sword. The balance will mess you up.” 

“Tell me how!” 

“Where’s the fun in that?” 

“Gilbert!” 

Someone cleared their throat. Alfred looked to see Matthew watching by the sidelines with an amused look on his face. He had his hair brushed back and was wearing the clothes that had been lent to them by Diamonds. There was still that stubborn stray strand that fell over his eyes though. 

“Mattie!” Alfred greeted excitedly. His brother, at least, Alfred thought, looked better in the two weeks that they’ve already spent in Diamonds. He guessed it had something to do with the fact that they had less to worry about here. The occupation in their country was still a looming threat but it was a shadow they could ignore for now. 

Mathew, Alfred knew, was also learning quite a lot from the mages of the kingdom. It could be good, after all, this exile of theirs. “Alfred,” Matthew smiled. “I see you’re having fun.” 

Alfred pouted. “It’s no fun losing.” 

“Hey,” Matthias said, nudging him with an elbow. “You won against me.” 

Alfred snorted. “You let me win, I’m sure of it. I suck at this.” It was a problem he was still trying to solve. How can he go back to save Arthur and the kingdom, to beat Ivan, if he couldn’t even win in a practice match? The thought of the King of Clubs left a sour taste in Alfred’s mouth. He still hated thinking about the fact that he thought that they could have been friends for a second there. 

“So, what are you here for, birdie?” Gilbert asked, clapping a hand on Matthew’s shoulder. Alfred wasn’t sure when their friendship had started but Matthew was still the only one of his family to actually start trusting in Gilbert. 

“Ah, well, they told me to fetch my brother.” Matthew glanced at Alfred, his brow knitted in worry. “King Francis wants to see you.” 

Alfred froze. Finally. He knew that this was what he had been waiting for but Gilbert’s warning still seemed to loom in his mind. He took a deep breath and nodded. He needed to be the king now, the king that Arthur had trained to do well in court.

\-----

Francis was angry. Alfred could see it in the way he held himself, in the way he looked at Alfred, cold and intimidating in a way that he hadn’t been when he had come to Spades for the coronation.

Alfred shifted on his feet in front of the throne. He fought against the urge to curl his hands around his sword, belted at his waist, or the key hanging from a chain around his neck. The pin he stole from Ivan was hidden somewhere, probably still between the pages of the book from the palace library. He wondered what they would think if they found that. Would it be good or bad? 

“Tell me why you’re here, Alfred,” Francis finally said.

Alfred took a deep breath and let himself relax a bit. He straightened his back and pretended that it was just another one of Arthur’s royal exercises to teach him how to act properly. “We need your help.” 

“Do you? The way you helped your own kingdom?” 

“That is not--” Alfred stopped and hesitated. “I can’t fight Clubs on my own.” 

“Will you even fight them, Alfred? I had people look into you. Your mother was from Clubs before she came to Spades, was she not?” Francis said, his arms resting on the arms of his throne as he stared Alfred down. “I was told you were gone from the palace long before Clubs made their move. You were gone, in fact, the same night Arthur was poisoned.” 

“Are you saying I poisoned Arthur!?” Alfred scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t be stupid. Why the hell would I do that!?” 

It was a stupid thing to do, Alfred thought. He could see the guards around them tensing and reaching for their weapons but Alfred was tired of waiting and he was tired of playing by the rules of this ridiculous game. 

“Alfred,” Gilbert warned, placing a hand on his shoulder. Alfred started. He hadn’t even realized that the other had followed him into the throne room. Didn’t Gilbert stay with Matthew in the practice yard? Or was it Matthias? Alfred remembered Gilbert taunting Matthias when he had left them. “Calm down.” 

“Gilbert,” Francis said, standing up. “I somehow knew you would have some part in this. I wonder why.” 

“Well, the Bonnefoy family are old friends,” Gilbert drawled. He looked far too relaxed even though they seemed to be surrounded here and Francis was suspicious of them. “Aren’t you, Francis?” 

“You are a friend to Clubs,” Francis said. “As I seem to recall.” 

Gilbert smirked. “Elizabeta and Roderich do not translate to the whole of the empire.” 

“You do not have stakes in this war, Gilbert. Why should I trust you? Or this boy king?” 

“You trusted Alfred before,” Gilbert said. He tilted his head and his red eyes seem to glint under the golden light that filled the throne room. “Spades and Diamonds have always been friends.” 

“That was before Arthur had been poisoned,” Francis said, coldly. “The King leaves right after and the palace was overtaken with its queen incapacitated. I think I have reason to be suspicious, don’t you?” 

“Hey!” Alfred scowled. “I’m still here, you know. I didn’t poison Arthur. I want to save him and the rest of the kingdom.” 

Francis sighed and rubbed at his temples with his fingers. “Gil,” he said. “Tell me something. Is this another one of your games? Your tricks? If so, I find it unamusing.” 

“Because of Arthur?” Gilbert grinned and placed his arm around Alfred. “Don’t worry yourself, your highness,” he said in a mocking tone. “This is my final play and I’m going to give you a hint. If you want your Queen, if you want Kirkland, then you need Alfred. The Sword chose him and he is still a king. Trust that he could be a hero.” 

“Gilbert?” Alfred whispered, confusion writ on his face. Gilbert did not look at him though and was still staring at the king of Diamonds. 

Francis sighed and finally broke the stand-off between him and Gilbert. He looked at Alfred as if he was assessing him and Alfred tried to look as regal as possible, or at least, not to slouch like he did most of the time. “Arthur did tell me to help you as a king. Very well but I will need you to be very patient, Alfred. You do not win a war with a snap of your fingers.” 

Alfred nodded. He still sent strange looks at Gilbert but the man looked like he was already thinking about the things that happened. Still, things seemed easier than he expected it to be. It was also strange. It was always strange around Gilbert and, not for the first time, the King of Spades wondered who Gilbert was exactly. 

Gilbert seemed to notice his stare and gave a reassuring grin. Alfred blinked and shook his head. Francis was inviting him to dine tonight and to talk of plans. He wasn’t sure why he had been staring at Gil. Arthur said it was rude to stare, didn’t he?

\-----

There was a feast a week after Francis officially welcomed Alfred in their kingdom. Diamond’s Feast of Coins. It made Alfred think of his own kingdom’s Feast of Swords. That’s where it all started, after all.

Francis had told him to be patient, that it wouldn’t be easy to arrange for aid. It had almost been a month since they left. Alfred thought that they should, at least, try to rescue Arthur and Yao. Then again, maybe they were all right in saying that Alfred was still far too inexperienced in battle. 

And it was too much to think that Francis would sacrifice much of his own people for another kingdom. He was still a king and a king looked after his people. 

Alfred stared at his reflection in the mirror. What did that make Alfred then when he couldn’t even go back to try and help anyone?

“Alfred?” 

Alfred turned to see his brother by the door. “Hey, Mattie,” he greeted. Matthew wore the colors of their home country just like Alfred. They got it yesterday and Alfred couldn’t help but wonder if it was another trick, another show of power. Everything was for show nowadays or maybe he was just paranoid. “What’s up?” 

“We were waiting for you,” Matthew said. “But, you were taking far too long.” 

“Oh, yeah?” 

Matthew nodded and pulled at one of his sleeves, uncomfortable. They didn’t usually wear fancy clothes like this and Alfred remembered his own time in the castle in Litera, trying to get used to the suits that was tailored for him. “Matthias and Lukas left for a bit. They said they were going to the city. Maybe buy something for the others when we get back.” 

“When we get back,” Alfred muttered. He missed Litera already. He missed the winding streets, the roofs that he used to traverse the cities sometimes. Hell, he missed the shitty places they used to run around in. “Do you think we would?” 

“Of course we will, Al. What’s gotten into you?” Matthew frowned at him. “It’s our home.” 

“Our family farm was our home once then our parents died and we had to go. We never returned. The old man’s place was sold after he died and that’s gone too. The inn--” Alfred stopped and ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn’t help but think of how easy it would be for them to figure out where Alfred had lived most of his life in Litera, of what they might do to find Alfred. 

“We’ll go back,” Matthew said, sounding sure. “You’ll take us back, Al.” 

“No pressure, right?” Alfred joked and the two shared a laugh. Alfred reached out to grab his sword and to sheathe it on his belt. “Fucking Joker, never thought I’d say this but things were easier before when I was nothing but a street rat.” 

Matthew smiled. “It’s not all bad,” he said. “You’re learning, right? Gilbert says you’re getting better.” 

“Gilbert says a lot of stuff,” Alfred said. “Most of them are things I have no hope of ever understanding.” 

Matthew nodded in agreement. “He has a lot of secrets. Still, there’s a lot we could learn from him.” 

“Wow, Mattie, that seems really cold of you, using others and everything.” 

“Al! I didn’t mean it like that!” 

“Sure, you didn’t,” Alfred said, sarcastically, to tease his brother. He turned to look straight at Matthew but froze when he saw a flash of green in the corner of his eyes. Ivan stood, staring at him, with the same friendly smile that seemed to hide so much. Alfred stepped back and Matthew stepped in front of him, a hand on his arm, supporting part of his weight. Alfred hadn’t even realized that he’d stumbled. 

He blinked, meeting his brother’s eyes. By the time he looked back at the corner of the room, it was empty, devoid of kings and secret smiles. Alfred swallowed nervously. “We should probably go, right?” He laughed, masking the uneasy feeling left inside him. It was just his imagination. 

Maybe he’s been thinking too much about it. After all, the last few days have been spent in discussions with the officials in Diamond and, sometimes, with Gilbert or Lukas or Matthias. His mind was filled with thoughts about the empire that has taken over his home. 

“Are you okay, Alfred?” 

“Of course I am, Mattie!” Alfred replied with a loud laugh. Maybe it was too much because his twin gave him a worried look but Alfred was grateful when Matthew did not push for the truth. “We should go, right? Maybe, if we get the public appearance thing they want us to do, we can actually check out the festival.”

\-----

The public appearance did not last that long. They stood by Francis as he made some speech for the festival and gave the guests another welcome and an invitation to enjoy the festival, to learn. Francis looked at Alfred at that moment and the young king couldn’t help but think the words were specifically chosen for him.

They probably were. 

Afterwards, he and Matthew were free to go around the city, see the sights and experience the Feast of Coins. Francis did tell them to come for a special ceremony tomorrow at dawn. Alfred wondered about what it could be. 

“It’s about their relic,” Matthew answered and Alfred startled because he had not realized that he had spoken his thoughts out loud. “The necklace the queen always wears. That’s what the ceremony is about.” 

“That’s,” Alfred stopped and licked his lips, trying to think of the right words to say, the right question to ask. “That’s like the Sword, right?” 

“I was reading about it,” Matthew replied with a nod. “Gilbert showed me to their library. I thought I could help you that way. The relics, they’re, well they’re gifts from the Joker. Some say that they were the things he stole from the other gods, you know, the crime that got him banished. He gave them to the four kingdoms to give them the power to wage war against the gods.” 

Alfred sucked a breath at that and released it in a sigh. “Let me guess, it did not end well.” 

Matthew grimaced. “What makes you say that, Al?” 

“I don’t know,” Alfred shrugged. “Every story that the Joker is involved in is a tragedy.” 

“The Four kingdoms were one kingdom when the Joker gave them the relics. Then, things happened and they all split,” Matthew said.Matthew placed a hand on Alfred’s arm to stop them by a stall, to look at some of the things they sold. Toys, mostly, it looked like. Alfred thought that Peter might like them. It was probably why Matthew had stopped them there in the first place. 

“So, I was right,” Alfred said, picking up a toy soldier from the bunch on display. “It didn’t end well. So, what do the things do? The Joker’s relics?” 

“Well, they say it changes but they usually revolve around the same ideas.” Matthew said, absently, as he fished out some coins from his pocket. He counted them out on the wooden surface of the stall. One for every kingdom he mentioned. “Abundance and Prosperity for Diamonds, Emotion and Fortune for Hearts, Creation and Vision for Clubs, Power and Conquest for Spades. There were four who handled them once. Two Kings and Two Queens. That much, at least, remains the same.” 

Alfred took one of their purchases, the box of soldiers, while Matthew took the other, a kind of puzzle block. Alfred remembered the old magician that he and Matthew used to help out. He used to give them riddles and puzzles like that, didn’t he? 

“Why all the secret then?” Alfred asked. “I thought they were just things used to find out who was the rightful ruler of the kingdom or something like that.” 

“I mean, it’s not wrong, Al,” Matthew said, smiling. “They are used for matters of succession. But, the secret’s because the gift supposedly changes for every single one who holds the relic. It’s strategic. You don’t want your enemies to know what you can do.” 

“But, Queen Lili is showing us what her relic can do at dawn, isn’t she?” 

Matthew nodded. “Spades and Diamonds have long been allies,” he said. “They trust you, Alfred.” 

“Do they?” For a moment, Alfred thought it was a voice from his own head but then, he was staring at the King of Clubs, standing in front of him in his regal clothing, medals hanging from his collar and a staff in hand. Alfred stared at the staff, wondering about its power and wondering why no one seems to be bothered that their supposed enemy was standing in their midst. 

Alfred dropped the box of soldiers from his hands and it crashed down on the ground. Alfred flinched and his eyes flicked to the scattered soldiers on the ground, some of them broken, some of them still standing like they were waiting for some command. When he looked back up again, the other king was gone, replaced by a brother who was looking at him in worry. 

“Ivan?” Alfred whispered. 

“Al? Alfred!” Alfred blinked and focused on his brother. Matthew’s purple eyes looked at him as if he was afraid Alfred might disappear. Alfred swallowed. Ivan had disappeared and no one seems to have actually seen him. Just like a ghost. Just like the night before Alfred left the palace. 

Alfred hated ghosts. “I’m fine, Mattie.” He crouched and started gathering the soldiers back in their box. “I’m just tired, I guess. I should go back to the palace or something, right? I’ll just embarrass myself here. You should go. Enjoy the festival some more.” 

“Alfred,” Matthew said, his voice calm. Matthew always seemed calm. Alfred frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay? I could come back with you.” 

“No,” Alfred shook his head. “I’ll be fine. Just enjoy yourself, okay? Meet you later?” 

He didn’t wait for his brother’s reply before he dashed off, back to the palace, taking the way he was used to back in Litera, climbing roofs jumping over the gaps between them, finding the little alleyways and veering in the roads less travelled by respectable folks. It felt like he was running away from something. 

Perhaps, he was running away from a ghost. Alfred squeezed his eyes shut as he entered the Diamonds palace by vaulting over one of their high walls like the thief that he was. He tried to ignore the voice that seemed to have followed him. “I will find you, Alfred. I will win.”

\-----

Every one of Alfred’s companions seems to have been invited to the ceremony at Dawn. Lukas and Matthias stand with the rest of the crowd that had been allowed into the special, little garden that had been in the heart of the palace. Alfred was surprised at it. He had explored the palace since he’s been there and he’s never found this place. Still, there it was.

It was surrounded by wall on only three sides and the other opened up to a sheer cliff with a beautiful view of the sea and the coming sunrise. Alfred wondered how he could have missed it and had said so to Matthew only for his twin to point out the different runes carved on the pillars that surrounded them. 

His two friends, more like mentors really, Lukas and Matthias, looked different. They wore the clothes of nobility and they managed to hold themselves the way nobles are expected to. Once again, Alfred is well aware of the secrets the people around him hold. Once again, he was aware of how little he actually knew about everything. 

Matthew and Gilbert stood beside him. Francis had told him he could bring two companions, that a king usually had two companions. He did not mean the Queen or the Jack. They told him that much but it still reminded Alfred of how he had failed the other two royals of his home country.

The royalty of the Kingdom of Diamonds was there as well. The Queen had been accompanied by the Jack, her brother and knight, into the garden. They had been followed by Francis who kept himself a few paces behind. It was the first Alfred had heard of a king following instead of leading. They had a front row view of what was about to happen. 

But, of course, a ceremony was a ceremony and there seemed to be traditions and rituals involve before they got to the main event. The Queen swore some oaths. Some priests told and sung tales of old as warnings. When they sung about the White King of Hearts, Gilbert had frozen beside Alfred before he left without a word. Lukas had replaced him moments after. 

Alfred opened his mouth to ask what it was about only to receive an admonishing look. He sighed. Later, there was always later, just as there was always secrets. He was getting tired of both and it was becoming more difficult to be as patient as they all seem to want him to be. 

Especially when the ghost of the King of Clubs seemed to be haunting him. 

It was ridiculous, he knew. Ghost were dead and, as far as he knew, Ivan was very much alive. Even now, as Alfred blinked and looked up, he could swear he saw the image of the other King lingering behind the rest of the crowd. 

“It’s starting,” Matthew whispered beside him. 

Alfred looked up and watched as Lili picked up her necklace, the jewel glinting in the early morning light. The sun had risen from the horizon and, as Lili faced the rising sun, Alfred could only see her silhouette. She knelt on the ground and buried the necklace before rising again. 

Alfred waited and he was not disappointed. From where she stood, the Queen was slowly being surrounded by the growth of plants around her feet. Alfred could see her smile as she turned towards them, the sun behind her like a halo around her golden hair. 

“May the Joker and the stars above bless our kingdom with a beautiful year and a bountiful harvest,” she said. 

People bowed their heads and Alfred did the same. Matthew looked in awe at the green still spreading at the ground beneath their feet, at the places where there were nothing there was now grass, and where there had been plants before looked even livelier and more beautiful. Alfred could not blame his brother for his awe. Even he could not stop gaping in wonder. 

Abundance and Prosperity for Diamonds, Alfred thought. It could not be more fitting.

\-----

_The Tragedy of the White King_

_Every story that the Joker dare touch is mired in sorrow. This is one such story._

__

_Once, there had been a King of Hearts. As per their tradition, he had won the Trials of Succession and ascended to the throne. There are two ways that the story goes. One tells of a boy who had cheated so masterfully that he won against all others who had gone through the trials and the other tale tells of a knight who fought and fought, so determined to win that he could not give up until he did._

_Most people don’t understand that they do not have to choose. One tale can exist very well with the other. This is where the King made his mistake. He had impressed the Joker and had its attention. This is where the story begins. This is where it ends._

_They called him the White King, the Demon King, the Broken King. King of Hearts. He was the King that had been cursed the moment the Joker appeared in his coronation, the moment he had taken the crown for his own. The King Who Will Be Forgotten. The King Who Will Be Remembered._

_In Spades, they tell the story of the White King’s wars, of his Conquest and his search for Power. They tell of a King who had won and won and won. Until he lost. Until he was no more and the Empire he had made had fallen. In Clubs, they speak of Love, of a King who had loved a Jack, or some say a Queen. One can never be too sure in these stories. Still, they speak of a King who had done all he could to protect the ones he loved, to protect his dear heart._

_In Diamonds, they warn you of the monster that lives in everyone. They tell the story of a Soldier and a Hero who had lost everything to power. They tell of how Blessings can easily turn to Curses. The relics are beautiful and powerful but they are not always benevolent. It is a tragic tale of the king who never really had a choice._

_In Hearts, they speak of Deceit and Lies, of a Great King who had gone mad. They speak of the King who brought them glory in exchange for his soul, or perhaps, his innocence and humanity. They still tell tales of his Trials and how everyone who tries for the throne now will only do so in his shadow._

_See, this is the story. The Cup of Hearts heals people. The Cup of Hearts breaks people. The Cup remakes._

_And the White King had chosen to drink from it to see his future. Whatever he saw is his to keep but this is what you must remember. He had chosen. Chosen. In the end, the choice had been his and his alone, and the consequences are for him to answer. So, be careful of what you choose. Regret does not come lightly._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Each of these chapters seem to be getting longer...


	6. In the Winter Sound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for how late this chapter is. I had a lot going on with school and stuff. I may have lost my motivation for writing in a long while there. I'm not sure if this is any good since I'm coming back to it after a while. Hope you still enjoy it though. Again, I'm sorry and thank you. Thank you for everyone who's read it and given their kudos and comments. I really appreciate it.

\-----

_An Excerpt from the Journal of Queen Alice Kirkland:_

_“….Today, Antonio had shown me the way he used to get into the city, to get into the heart of our capital. It is truly some fascinating work that I could not help but write about it. I promised not to make it so public but this one shall stay with me. I wish to explore the tunnels under Litera more, to see and know about its makers. Antonio has promised to take me to the different entrances tomorrow. I shall record it then for our descendants to use….”_

\----- 

The gates of Litera are guarded by soldiers wearing the colors of Clubs. There was a festival that day. Spade’s beloved Feast of Swords. To everyone in the kingdom, it has almost been a year since they’ve fallen to Clubs. It’s been a year since they found a king who disappeared soon after.

Everyone has talked about it ever since. But, that day was not one for stories of disappearing king. No, it was a day of celebration and the guards give nothing more than a cursory glance at the caravan of troupers that entered the city walls.

Alfred shielded his eyes as they left the walls and the inspections. He looks left and right at the city he has missed and grinned back at Matthias and Lukas who was in the wagon with him. “I can’t believe we’re back.”

“Careful, Alfred,” Lukas warned although he shared Alfred’s smile. “Someone might recognize you.”

“Should be fine,” Gilbert said as he leaped into their wagon. “I checked everything. We’ll be fine.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Matthias asked, looking at all of them.

“Take back the country?” Alfred asked with a grin. It was easy to see how ecstatic he was to be back home. Gilbert looked at him and guessed that it may be true that those meant to be kings always felt most at home in their own land.

“Matthew and I should gather information,” Lukas said as he unsheathed one of his knife, testing the edge before he started cleaning it. “We can go around the city. We’re the best at not attracting attention, after all.”

“What are we doing, then?” Matthias asked.

“Attracting attention,” Lukas said. He paused and frowned before fixing a look at Alfred. “Attract attention but don’t let anyone find out who you are.”

Alfred snorted. “I’m not stupid,” he said. “Besides, we’re just performing, aren’t we?”

“Just performing,” Gilbert laughed, leaning back on the side of the wagon. “Alfred, kid, how did you manage to convince Francis you were ready for this?”

Alfred glared at him but Gilbert simply returned a crooked grin. “Remember when I thought you that fighting meant no extra movements? You’re going to have to do the exact opposite this time.”

\-----

It was Gilbert and Matthias who actually took charge of getting everyone’s attention with a show in the middle of the city’s biggest plaza. Alfred stood to the side with his head covered with a white hood trimmed in yellow. They were here on Diamond’s patronage.

Even as a circus troupe.

Still, Alfred cannot afford for anyone to see him and it would be better to blend in. He had been able to hide from Clubs for a long while but they were in the middle of the action now. He had to be more careful.

Someone bumped into him and Alfred felt a certain sense of nostalgia. He had bumped into Gilbert, didn’t he? The last time he had spent the Feast of Swords in Spades, he had bumped into Gilbert and had become king. Gods, it felt like ages ago and no time at all at the same time.

It didn’t make any sense.

What did make sense to Alfred was that the person who had just bumped into him was a thief. He froze. He definitely felt the other reach into his pocket but to reveal it would call attention to them, to Alfred. Alfred was not supposed to call attention to himself.

Alfred sighed and reached into his pocket, trying to see what had been taken from him. He frowned as he realized that his money was still there. There was a piece of paper, however, and Alfred froze in worry.

He fished it out, staring at the hastily scrawled note. He was an idiot. He should have recognized his supposed thief. Alfred smiled and crushed the note in a ball, throwing it at Gilbert and watched as the other man, without hesitation, caught it and made it a part of the act, burning it with a fire trick.

Alfred craned his neck, trying to search the crowd for a very familiar figure. But, it seems like Peter had long disappeared in the crowd.

\-----

“Are you sure about this, Alfred?” Gilbert said with a scowl. “It could be a trap.”

Alfred sent a hard look at Gilbert. “Why?” Alfred asked. “Did the Queen of Clubs warn you about it? Or was it the Jack this time?”

Alfred watched Gilbert’s scowl shift to a look of anger instead of uncertainty. Gilbert sneered and stopped Alfred with a hand on his arm, gripping tight enough that it might bruise. Alfred ignored it and met Gilbert’s strange eyes head on. “Did you steal my correspondence again?”

“What if I did?” Alfred returned with a twist to his mouth. He wasn’t going to back down just because Gilbert said so. Sure, the other has been a big help so far but Lukas was right about how none of them really knew what Gilbert’s motives were.

“They’re not yours to look at,” Gilbert sighed as he released Alfred. “It’s none of your business.”

“It is mine if you’re friendly with our enemy.” Alfred said.

Gilbert opened his mouth to retort but they were interrupted by Matthew dropping beside them from a nearby awning. He looked from Alfred to Gilbert with a worried expression. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, I was just telling Alfred that the whole thing seems suspicious.” Gilbert said with a laugh masking his earlier unease. “It’s not everyday you get a random location on a piece of paper.”

Matthew gave Gilbert a dubious look but he nodded without saying anything else. “Lukas and Matthias will check it out,” he said. He looked at Alfred and Alfred knew, without a doubt, that they’d be talking about this issue later. “We’ll go if there’s no problem.”

“And if there is?” Gilbert threw out.

Alfred glared at Gilbert but it was Matthew who answered. “They’ll get out, Gil. Don’t worry. Lukas is good at what he does. He’s the one who taught us.”

Gilbert nodded but Alfred couldn’t help but feel uneasy at the sudden tension between them. He knew it was just the stress of their plans finally coming closer and closer with every moment. Anything could go wrong and they were taking their frustration out with each other.

Matthew looked at both of them before looking at the end of the alley. He sighed and gave Alfred a pointed look. “I’m going to check on Lukas,” he said. “I’ll come back for you guys when it’s all clear.”

Alfred knew when his twin was trying to get him to do something he doesn’t want to. They watched Matthew disappear down the alley. His footsteps were soft, the sound of it almost nonexistent and Alfred was once again awed by his brother’s talent for it. Matthew made a good thief but it was his morals that made him better, would always make him better than Alfred.

Sometimes, Alfred couldn’t help but think that things would have been better if Matthew had been king. He was kinder and smarter. People liked Matthew whereas most people were just irritated by Alfred.

Alfred sighed and looked at Gilbert. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. I’m just worried about what we’re planning.”

Gilbert crossed his arms over his chest and leaned on the wall of the building behind him. “Not your fault,” he said. “We’re all on edge. It’s why I was worried too.”

“Will you ever tell me why you’re helping us?” Alfred said, trying and failing to sound nonchalant about the answer that would come from the other. “You’re close with them, the Queen and Jack of Clubs, I mean. So, why help us?"

“It’s my last chance, I think,” Gilbert said, staring at the ground beneath them. He was refusing to meet Alfred’s eyes and Alfred wondered what the other was trying to hide. Alfred’s hand went to his pocket, to one of Gilbert’s first gifts to him, the key that he hasn’t quite figured out yet. “I failed a kingdom once. No, that’s wrong. I failed all the kingdoms once. I’m not about to let it happen again.”

Alfred twisted his mouth into a scowl of frustration. He glared at Gilbert when the white-haired man decided it would be a good idea to chuckle at that particular action. “What?” Gilbert asked with a cocked brow and a smirk. “Answer not good enough for you, highness?”

“It’s just another one of your stupid mysterious answers,” Alfred said, glaring. “Answering without actually answering. Arthur would like that, I think.”

“Well, awesomeness doesn’t share it’s secrets, Alfred,” Gilbert cackled. They heard something and tensed but it was only Gilbert’s little bird flying down to perch on his shoulder. “Birdie should be coming around soon.”

“How do you know that?” At Gilbert’s smirk, Alfred rolled his eyes and muttered a curse under his breath. “Right, secrets. Again.”

“Well, according to one of my secret sources, I think you made a good call this time, Al.”

“I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what that means.”

“Oh, come on, have a little faith,” Gilbert winked. “Aren’t surprises best when you never expect them?”

\-----

 “I didn’t know this place existed before,” Alfred said, looking around the obviously man made tunnels around him. They had reached the place through an entrance hidden somewhere in Litera’s university library. According to Lukas, there were more entrances all around the city and the tunnels ran all over the city’s underground, a network hidden from most of its occupants.

 “You wouldn’t,” Lukas explained as he led the way before them. One of his hands was held out in front of him, a ball of light floating above it, casting a bluish light around them. “These are generally kept secret.”

 Gilbert laughed. “It probably has something to do with the fact that pirates used these tunnels to get into the city years ago.”

 “Pirates?” Alfred grinned. “Really?”

 “There are still records written by Queen Alice about these tunnels,” Lukas explained. “When I studied at the university, we found records of these tunnels. Our group have always used this.”

 “How come I never got to use it?” Alfred said, indignant.

 “We didn’t want you to always remain a thief, Alfred,” Lukas said. “Tino always said that the children were our hope. We were right about you, weren’t we?”

 Alfred snorted. “Yeah, right, I was just at the right place at the right time. I never would have been king otherwise.”

 “I’d like to believe it was as it should be,” Lukas replied. “Believe in yourself more, Alfred.”

 “That’s right, Al,” Gilbert grinned. “Everything is going well according to plan. Believe it. The Joker is awesome, right? This was meant to happen.”

 Alfred scowled. “Even our kingdom being taken over?”

 “But, you’re going to take it back, aren’t you?”

 The three froze as they heard the sound of footsteps and turned as one. Three cloaked figures turned the corner and Alfred tensed. Gilbert’s hand came to rest on the hilt of his sword while Lukas summoned his staff to his hand. Alfred didn’t think he’d seen Lukas use so much magic before all this mess happened.

 The one in the lead among the cloaked figures removed the hood they wore. Alfred recognized the young man who assisted Arthur and Yao in the palace. “Leon?” Alfred asked, stepping forward.

 The young man smiled and inclined his head. “Your highness,” he said. “The Queen and Jack would be pleased to know that you are well.”

 “I don’t get it,” Alfred said, frowning. He looked to Lukas for guidance. “You said you met with the ones who sent the location. What is this really about?”

The one on Leon’s right took of their hood as well and Alfred found himself looking at his former maid, Virginia. “This is a revolution, your highness,” she said. “Everyone will be glad to see that the king we’ve all been waiting for has returned.”

When the one on the left took off his hood, Alfred gaped in response. Emil smirked at him. “What? You thought we were going to just stand by while they hunted for you, Alfred? While they took our kingdom?”

Leon nodded. “Well, shall we go see our people now?”

\-----

 Alfred did not expect to find an organized resistance already in place when he arrived at the imperial capital. Still, it was a relief to know that wouldn’t just be their small group going against the entirety of the Clubs forces in Spades.

 “You didn’t know about us, your highness?” Virginia asked, small amused smile on her face. The three of them--Virginia, Leon, and Emil, led the way to where the rest of their forces were hiding. “Gilbert has been here before to help us and bring some supplies from Diamonds.”

 Alfred glared at the white-haired man beside him. Gilbert smirked. “What? Do you have a problem with the awesome me?”

 “You were suspicious!”

 “Yeah?”

 “But, you knew about it?”

 “Al, it’s not that easy.” Gilbert said. “One thing you must learn as king and commander is that information is power. I know that. I’m sure the current royals all know that. Certainly, our enemies do. If they knew about the resistance and about you then one of the best ways to go about it is to lure you to them. Get it all in one go. It’s what I would have done.”

 “Do they know?”

 “Why would I know that?” Gilbert asked, indignant, before he scowled. “Because of Elizabeta and Roderich? I trust them but I have plans of my own. I know they have their own loyalties too. I wouldn’t put all of this at risk.” He looked away from Alfred and stared at the rough hewn walls. “Not even for them. I’ve learned my lesson.”

 Alfred sighed and shook his head. “Forget it. I’m never asking you a question again.”

 “We both know that’s not true.” Gilbert grinned. “Maybe I’m just too awesome for you to understand.”

 “We’re here,” Leon announced.

 Emil looked torn between smiling and frowning at Alfred. It made him pull off a weird look. “So, if you could just behave, Alfred, that would be good.”

 “That’s right,” Leon agreed. “We need to talk about a plan. The banquet that will end the Festival will be a great opportunity. It’s time to take back what’s ours.”

 -----

The palace was decked out for the festivities when they arrived. The banners that flew from the walls were green and gold. A mix, Alfred thought, of the Spades and Clubs colors. It looked wrong. It looked beautiful. He frowned at the thought, glancing at the reflection of himself in the carriage window. It was faint and barely there. It was not him. 

The reflection on the window showed a young man with brown hair and dark eyes. He had darker skin than Alfred would have had. His hair was cut shorter and looked messier. He wore the colors of Clubs and Alfred absently touched the pin that held his cloak together. Ivan’s pin, he remembered. Alfred was not sure what to feel about it.

Lukas was right, of course. He cannot come to the party held at the palace as himself. It would be the most foolish thing he has ever done. It is not as if Alfred is in shortage of such actions. 

“Nervous?” Gilbert asked, seated across him. There is no illusion cast over Gilbert. He has friends, he had said. It would be more beneficial to come as himself. 

“I don’t know if we’ll succeed.” 

“Relax,” Gilbert said. “Everything is going according to plan.” 

Alfred glared at him. “Whose plans?” 

Gilbert chuckled and leaned back on his seat. “You still suspect me?” He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’ve broken you, made you distrust people.” 

Alfred snorted. “Yeah, right,” he huffed. “Dude, you give yourself too much credit. I think living on the streets have given me enough distrust for people.” 

Gilbert grinned. “I’m sure I’ve given the right credit to the awesome me.” 

Alfred shook his head and glanced back out the window. There were only three carriages ahead of them. Once the guards came to ask them for their invitations, then they’ll know whether or not the spell would work. 

Alfred wasn’t even sure why he was determined to save Arthur. They had barely known each other. Still, Arthur was a decent mentor and queen. Despite his stuffiness and irritable nature, and Alfred smiled at that thought, he did mean well for the kingdom. Well, as long as he didn’t try to feed its people with his atrocious cooking. 

“Stop,” Gilbert ordered and Alfred stopped his foot from tapping nervously on the carriage floor.

“You’re only making it worse. They’ll suspect you more if you do act suspicious.” 

“Well, it’s not that easy, is it?” 

“Isn’t it?” Gilbert challenged. “You wanted this, Alfred. You had your chance to just leave. The King of Spades was free from Clubs and you could have just gone anywhere. Instead, you came back. Easy or not, you have to see this through to the end. You have to take this seriously.” 

“I am taking it seriously!” 

“You need to act more like it,” Gilbert said, tense. 

The carriage stopped and the guard peered through their window. “Invitations?” 

Gilbert held it out to the guard who checked the thing. Lukas had said that they probably wouldn’t look too closely even if they faked the whole thing. It was Gilbert who wanted to leave no loose ends and decided to use whatever connections he had to make it so they had the authentic one. The guard handed the invitation back and waved them in. Alfred sighed in relief. 

“Not too obvious, remember?” 

“I remember, Gil,” Alfred rubbed at his eyes. “There’s just too much at stake with this.”

“All the more reason.” 

“I know, I know.” 

“People are counting on you, Alfred.” 

Alfred sighed and laid his head on the carriage window. “That’s what I was afraid of.” 

\-----

Alfred had been to many balls since he has become king. The first, of course, will be the coronation. Whenever he thought of it, he thought of Ivan, of the king who Alfred had once thought could be an ally. At times, Alfred found himself hating his own naivety. He should have known better. It was common sense. People turned on you the first chance they got. 

Well, that wasn’t totally right. He still had people he trusted but the more he took on the role as a king, the more he learned that it was just a select few. 

Still, it seemed like Clubs had spared no expense for this celebration. The room was lavishly decorated and, again, Alfred noted the mix of colors, both Spades’ and Clubs’ colors intertwined like their allies instead of enemies. There was an ice sculpture situated at the center of the room of a beautiful woman holding up a staff with a hand placed on the hilt of a sword on her hip. Alfred grimaced at the image it presented. 

Alfred stopped in his tracks as he noticed Arthur from across the room. Arthur was conversing with the Jack of Clubs and both men were surrounded by courtiers and guards. The queen was nearby and Alfred could see Gilbert escorting her. Alfred bit his lip, still trying to guess at that relationship. He still wasn’t sure who Gilbert was or whether he could trust him. 

But, he would have to for tonight. 

He didn’t have any other choice. 

While Gilbert tried to communicate with Arthur, Alfred was supposed to watch, to get some information and perhaps, even identify some possible allies. 

He sighed and was about to step into place with a group of guests sporting the blue of spades but with green and silver accents on it when a hand was placed on his arm to stop him. 

He turned to protest against the sudden interruption when he came face to face with the king of Clubs. 

Alfred froze until he remembered that he was supposed to be disguised. “Your highness,” he said, smiling and standing straight. “This is unexpected. Can I help you?”

Ivan’s lips twitched. He released Alfred’s arm and stepped back. Alfred watched him warily and noted that he had a new pin on his coat. Alfred fought the urge to touch the one he wore himself and tried to make himself relax.

“I thought you looked familiar,” Ivan said, still with the same small smile that unnerved Alfred. “Forgive me. I must have been thinking of someone else.”

“That’s too bad, your highness,” Alfred said. “I almost believed that I had the honor of gaining the king’s attention.”

“Flattery would get you nowhere,” Ivan answered. “You came with Gilbert, da? I am certain he would have told you that. Still, since it was I who bothered you. Perhaps, we could dance?”

“Dance?”

“Yes,” Ivan said. “It is a party, after all. You did come here to enjoy yourself, did you not?”

Alfred tensed. He tried to see what has happened to Gilbert. Gilbert was watching across the room. The white-haired man was still beside the Queen of Clubs, sharing a glass of wine that matched his eyes. Gilbert smiled and raised his glass like a salute. Alfred swore he was going to kill Gil the next time he got close.

“Of course, your highness,” Alfred said, chuckling. “I mean, why else would I be here, right?”

“Right,” Ivan said, offering his open palm. “Well, shall we?”

Alfred placed his hand on the other king’s. Somehow, he remembered another night a year ago. A garden and two kings. A peace that would not last. It had felt simpler then, easier to trust someone who was supposedly an enemy. Now, well he’s not even sure if he should trust all his friends.

The dance was simple enough, one of the court dances he had learned before his own coronation a year ago. He could feel eyes on them both. Of course, people would be curious about the stranger who had the king’s eye. Alfred wanted to leave, wanted to get on with the plan. It was important to find a way out.

Still, he had allies. He may not be the same person a year ago but even if he wasn’t quite willing to trust an enemy like Ivan again, he should still trust his allies. Gilbert was handing a glass to Arthur, looking like he was simply having a good time. Matthew was in the city. They had their own plans in place and Alfred could only send a prayer to the gods, even to the Joker, to keep them all safe.

“You seem deep in thought,” Ivan said.

Alfred’s attention snapped back into place and he met the eyes of the king he was dancing with. “Not quite a fan of these parties, your majesty. Don’t know if you understand, it’s just that it all gets to me, you know? Very tiring.”

“I see,” Ivan said, narrowing his eyes. “Well, I would prefer you at least try to pay attention.”

“As you wish, your highness,” Alfred replied, unable to keep that bit of sarcasm from spilling out of his lips. He bit his lip when he realized his mistake only to realize that the other king was already smiling in amusement.

They didn’t even realize the music had stopped, still staring at each other as if daring the other, challenging the other. Alfred had to remind himself over and over in his head that he wasn’t Alfred today. He wasn’t a king and Ivan was and this was a dangerous game he’s playing. He really should know when to stop.

Ivan looked like he wanted to say something but then the queen was there by their side. “If I could interrupt?” Elizabeta said before deftly ignoring Alfred to tell Ivan something. She gave Alfred a curious glance before she leaves that left him wondering if she knew anything about this plan. Gilbert was still by Arthur’s side.

“It seems I have to go but I will look forward to seeing you again,” Ivan said, smile back in place. Ivan stepped closer until he was but a breath away, ducking their heads together so he could whisper. “Alfred.”

Alfred froze but the king was already moving, already leaving the dance floor. Alfred was left staring at the floor, feeling his hands shaking and clammy. He wondered if Ivan had left to call the guards, if he should be worried but nothing was happening and the next song for the dance was starting. He left the dance floor, feeling tense and shocked, unnerved by the King of Clubs whose image has been haunting him for the past year.

\-----

“You ready, Matthew?” Matthias asked, clapping a hand on Matthew’s shoulder.

Matthew tugged at his hair. He didn’t mind cutting it to look like Alfred’s but it still felt strange to have it so short. “Do you think it’ll work?”

“We’ll make it work,” the older man said and Matthew laughed.

“It should be easy, right?” Matthew said, smiling. “Just pretend to be Alfred and cause trouble. Most people already mistake me for Alfred. All we have to do is cause some trouble. You think Al will be okay in the palace with Gil?”

“He is capable of taking of himself. He’ll be fine.” Lukas said as he summoned his staff in his hand. Leon, Emil, and the others would all be scattered around the city, being as distracting as they could be as well. But, Matthew also had a role to play. He needed to make people believe that the king was back even as the true king infiltrated the palace.

“That’s something coming from you,” Matthias said, grinning. “Why don’t we tell Alfred that the next time we see him?”

Lukas glared at the other. “Will you take this seriously, Matthias, or should I make you?”

“I am taking this seriously,” Matthias said, his expression darkening. He gripped his axe tighter and stepped closer to the edge of the balcony they were hiding in. “Should we make Clubs regret ever stepping foot in this empire?”

At Lukas’ nod, Matthias jumped to take down the two guards that were stationed beneath them. Lukas clapped his hands together until there was a magic circle, blue-green runes floating in front of them like a shield. “They should be able to hear you now, Matthew,” he whispered. “Remember, this is your call-to-arms as the King of Spades.”

“People of Spades, will you listen to what I have to say?”

Matthew could see the people murmuring as he removed the hood covering his face, identical to that of his brother. There were people pointing and everyone was staring. He had to fight the urge to hide behind something like he always did. He can’t always do that, shouldn’t always do that. He wasn’t Alfred. He wasn’t the king. But, he could very well help save the people he cared for. 

“It is time for us to rise up and take back what’s ours. It is time for us to drive away the people who will take our freedom from us. Clubs has taken control of our lands, of our people for too long. We have plans in place. All I ask is that you stand with us,” Matthew looked at all of them and stood more confidently. He grinned at them all the way Alfred would have. “I will fight for you and Spades. Will you join me?”

\-----

Alfred paced the length of the balcony overlooking the gardens. Leon was supposed to meet him minutes ago. It felt like hours and Alfred couldn’t help but feel that they were behind schedule. They needed to know that they had a clear path to the tunnels for Arthur and Yao. Alfred refused to think of the possibility of failing them in this.

“I did not think that we would ever got a chance to meet in this very place once again.”

Alfred whirled to see Ivan standing at the threshold. He stepped to where Alfred had been pacing close to the marble railings of the balcony. Alfred stepped back until his back hit the railing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ivan laughed. “Ah, I see.”

“See what, your highness?”

“I think you know what I mean,” Ivan said. He narrowed his eyes at Alfred and they both stared at each other for a heartbeat. “You still believe you can trick me.”

“Trick you?” Alfred laughed and shook his head. He looked away from Ivan, refusing to meet his eyes. The garden was dark, the moon covered by the clouds. He wanted to run. He was tired of running. “I think you may have the wrong person, your majesty.”

“Do not insult me!” The sudden boom of Ivan’s voice made Alfred flinch. The King of Clubs closed his eyes and seemed to take a moment to calm himself. He pressed a hand over Alfred’s chest and Alfred cringed away only to realize there was nowhere else to go. Ivan was covering the pin, the brooch that Alfred had stolen from him once upon a time. “He took this from me. You did, remember?”

“You’re insane,” Alfred said, glaring at the other man.

“Yes, perhaps I am,” Ivan said. “Why did you run, Alfred?”

Alfred scoffed. “Let’s say I am this Alfred. The King of Spades, right? Why wouldn’t I run? You’ve taken over the capital, poisoned the queen and who knows what else? What the hell do you think would happen to the ruling king? My guess? Execution.”

Ivan sighed. “I would not have allowed it.”

“You would not have allowed it?” Alfred frowned. “Dude, I’m no king but even I know that’s stupid.”

“And what are you if not a king?”

Alfred laughed and boosted himself until he was seated on the railings. His eyes flicked to the fall below, noting the bushes and wondering if it could cushion his fall. “Me?” He grinned, wide and full of confidence, spreading his arms as if he was getting ready to fly. “I’m a hero.”

Alfred winced when Ivan grabbed him by the collar. There was strength in that grip and Alfred was used to being the strongest one in the room but it seems the King of Clubs would have strength to rival his.

He hated that even now, he looked at Ivan not with anger but with sympathy. He wondered what the king had meant when he said that he would have spared Alfred. Why? Because they shared a few moments after Alfred’s coronation. It seemed funny, like a bad joke that made you laugh simply by how ridiculous it was. Absurd, that’s what Artie or Lukas would have called it.

He wondered how Matthew and the others were doing with their own assignments. He wondered where Leon had gone. He wondered if they would succeed even when it seemed that Alfred had already failed.

“Why do you keep following me, Ivan?” Alfred whispered and he saw the look of surprise cross the other’s face before it was replaced by a small smile.

“Are we done pretending then?”

Alfred shrugged. They were in such an awkward position so he let himself down to stand in front of him once again. “It sucks. I thought I was doing a good job acting. I do it all the time in the streets. How’d you know it was me?”

“How? My gift, of course.”

Alfred gaped and bit his lips. “Creation and Vision for Clubs. Vision, huh?”

“It allows me to see through your illusions. It allowed me to scry you.” Ivan said. “Though, I did not imagine that you would be so scared of ghosts.”

“I’m not, what are you talking about?” Alfred snorted, shaking his head. “It’s just you can’t punch a ghost right? You go right through them and they can make things fly at you? It’s creepy! You can’t blame me. You looked like a ghost when you did what you did. I mean, I don’t even know why you’re telling me all this. I thought the gifts were kept secret as a home advantage or something, you know, kinda like when you’re playing against someone on their home turf which I guess is what happened this past year and right now if you’ve always known where I’ve been.”

Ivan chuckled. “Do you always speak so much?”

“I’m not shutting up because of you!”

“Of course not,” Ivan smiled at him. “You will not be the Alfred I know then. You are bright like the summer sun. I will not wish for that light to dim.”

“Dude, are you serious?”

“Of course I am,” Ivan said. “Otherwise, I would have called the guards the moment I saw you.”

“That’s a lie,” Alfred said, looking over Ivan’s shoulder where several of the palace guards had arrived led by the General, Winter.

“General,” Ivan said, stepping to cover Alfred from sight. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Do you not know, your highness?” The general said, smiling. It was a strange look on his face. Somehow, Alfred thought, it made him look sinister. He shivered and rubbed at his arms. He wondered what this was about. Ivan seemed as surprised as he was.

“Know what?”

“The King of Spades has shown himself at last.”

Alfred was careful not to show any reaction. So, Matthew was doing his job well at least. Unlike Alfred. Really, he should be doing better. “The King?” Ivan said. He sounded confused. Alfred could sympathize. He was so certain that the so-called king stood behind him after all.

“He is rallying the people,” the general sneered. He passed a disconcerting gaze over Alfred before settling his look back at Ivan. “Will you rather stay here with your companion or shall we end this war at last?”

“Yes,” Ivan said. “End this war, indeed. I will be right after you, general. It would be rude to leave a guest without a goodbye, after all.”

Alfred stepped to follow the guards away from the balcony when Ivan grabbed his arm again. “I don’t know what you’ve done this time but you won’t be able to leave this palace so easily, Alfred.”

“I told you,” Alfred snarled. “I’m not your king. Apparently, he’s out there beating you. I guess you were wrong, eh, your highness?”

“And what are you?” Ivan challenged. “If not the King of Spades?”

“You keep asking that,” Alfred scoffed.

“And you keep lying,” Ivan said. “I’m only trying to help. This war has cost our countries so much. Don’t you want to end it?”

“With what? Conquest? Let me tell you, the White King tried that once and where is he now?”

“He failed,” Ivan said. There was a coldness in his eyes, determination too. “I won’t. I won’t lose anything again.”

“You know what, you may be right,” Alfred grinned. “I have been lying. I’m not a king. I’m not a hero. I’m a thief. And you know what? I’ll steal everything from you until I’ve gotten my home back again, until I’ve made you regret ever taking it. Is that clear?”

“Quite bold for someone so trapped,” Ivan said. The King of Clubs shook his head and stepped away from Alfred, passing him to go follow his general and soldiers. “I was wrong about you. Your light was dimmer than I thought.”

“We’ll see about that,” Alfred muttered as he watched the man disappear. He clenched his hands into fists, trying to stop himself from damaging anything, from punching the lights out of the next person who came to see him. He thought of the things Ivan didn’t know, of the tunnels and Matthew and all their other allies. For a moment, he felt a flicker of doubt. Could Ivan have known about all it from his scrying?

No, he wouldn’t have. He had seemed surprise. Alfred would surprise him again, vision or not. By the time he came back, Alfred would have escaped from his clutches. That was what he was good at after all.

Street rat. Always scurrying away in the dark. The King of Clubs wouldn’t know what hit him.

\-----

_Winter’s Ruin_

_There are many stories of the prince who stole Summer from her blessed land. There are few who tell the story of what came after, of a king who was beset by madness. See, stories are reflections of one another. Years later, decades, and centuries, and eons that pass and they will repeat themselves because that is what stories do._

_Here is the story of Winter’s Ruin. Summer was lost and Winter was broken. Did the Prince and Summer live happily ever after? I would say no for Summer and Winter’s tale is one of the Joker’s greatest masterpieces._

_The White King’s Princess died in a war and he was beset by madness, broken and obsessed with conquest. He wanted the Joker’s favor to bring her back. He did not get his wish. This, too, is a mirror of Winter’s Ruin._

_But, what happens when the Joker has gotten tired of his games? Will it bring back Summer? Perhaps, that is the question we should ask. Perhaps, it is a question that cannot be answered._


	7. And I Caught You, Sheltered by the Night

**_\-----_ **

 

_ From an unfinished history of Spades: _

 

> **_The Winter Palace_ **
> 
> _ “The Winter Palace was constructed by one of the former Kirkland queens and its construction lasted for several reigns. It is known as both a fortress and a place for rest for kingdom’s royal family. Several kings have been crowned on its premises. There are myths that say it is where the Prince of Blue took his Lady of Summer when he had taken her from Clubs but I find it to be nothing but fairy tales and hearsay as no actual historical record state this. It may simply be a result of the fact that the Winter Palace and its surrounding towns lie quite close to the border between Clubs and Spades….”  _

 

_ \----- _

 

Alfred ran. 

He wondered if the party was still proceeding as usual. He wondered if anyone else has realized what Alfred and the others have planned for tonight. He tried to figure out which would be more beneficial for them. The chaos of everyone of panicking when they hear that the palace was besieged would be more than enough to mask Alfred’s movements. But, the way they are now, there was no one to see him anyway. 

He needed to stop feeling trapped, feeling like he’s made another mistake. He was a king. The King of Spades. 

He was no longer the thief who ran around the city without a care. 

The thought scared him more than it should. He rounded a corner and almost crashed into Gilbert. Gilbert faltered for a moment but recovered just as fast, grabbing Alfred by the arm and dragging him to an alcove. “Where have you been?” 

“Dude, you scared me!” Alfred shook the other off. “And what do you mean where have I been? I’ve been doing my part of the plan but Leon didn’t show up.” 

“He said you didn’t show up,” Gilbert said, looking upset as he stepped back. “You were with Ivan, weren’t you?” 

Alfred froze. “No.” 

“Alfred.” 

“How’s Arthur? Yao? Did you get them out?” 

Gilbert gave him a look that said they weren’t done talking about it. “There are too many guards to act freely right now. At least, there are guards where they are and the disappearance of the Spades royals will definitely be noticed.” 

“But we have a way out that they don’t know about,” Alfred protested. 

“The whole point is that they don’t know about those passages,” Gilbert raised an eyebrow. “We can’t go revealing them now when they’re so vital to our awesome plan.” 

“This isn’t the time to joke around, Gil.” 

“I’m not joking,” Gilbert snarled, slamming Alfred to the wall. He narrowed his eyes at the pinned down king and sneered. “You’re still so young, Alfred. You don’t anything about what all of these mean to me. I definitely wasn’t the one so distracted by the king of clubs that he couldn’t act. I wasn’t the one wandering around aimlessly. I have a goal and I will reach it.”

Gilbert sighed and released Alfred. The white haired man stepped back into the hallway and in a moment, the terrifying mask vanished and the careless grin return. “Please try not to die. You’re kind of important to our plans at the moment.” 

“Our plans?” Alfred glared, setting his jaw stubbornly. “Or yours?” 

“Up to you, Al.” Gilbert laughed. “I’m only trying to help.” Gilbert turned to leave and looked over his shoulder. “You coming? I’ll take you to them.” 

 

\-----

 

Matthew remembered days spent watching the palace with his brother. They used to make up all sorts of stories about the people who called it home. It was a presence that you felt all over the city, the beautiful castle that loomed over Litera, perhaps over all of Spades and the power that it entailed was quite enticing to a pair of orphans with nothing. 

When Alfred had become king, it seemed that he’d eventually get to visit it if only as the king’s brother. It never happened. But, despite everything, Matthew has seen other sights, has learned other things since their lives changed. 

Even when everything had changed, he still had never expected that he would lead a charge against the palace he used to dream about. He smiled as he thought of the children that they had been. Those boys would never have believed all that had happened to them. 

They’ve come so far but in some ways, they were still the same. Alfred was still in the castle trying to steal his queen and jack like the thief that he was and Matthew was still taking Alfred’s place when he has to. 

Matthew shook his head to clear it of the invasive thoughts. Now was not the time to be pensive and to think about their past. 

He needed to focus. 

“Are you alright, Matthew?” Lukas frowned at him as they stopped, waiting to see if they had to storm the gates or if their allies from the inside can get them in without wasting their energies with trying to break in. 

Matthew stared at the gates. He shook his head and gripped the sword in his hand. “I’ll be fine.” 

Lukas looked doubtful but he nodded and stared forward just as the gates swung open and the air was filled with war cries and cheers. They still had a fight to win ahead of them. 

 

\-----

 

Gilbert was right, Alfred thought. It was proving difficult to find an opening to get to Arthur and Yao. It was frustrating and Alfred was tempted to just march towards them and maybe take down some of the guards around them. 

But, that wouldn’t work. There would be reinforcements nearby and who knows how he’d do against that many. He was good, better after the training in Diamonds. But, he was not an idiot. No matter what he pretends to be sometimes. 

There must be another way. There was always a way to steal something no matter how protected one claimed it to be. 

“Can I help you?” 

Alfred almost jumped, startled as he was by the voice behind him. He turned and looked at the Spadian guard who was looking at him with a twist at the corner of his mouth that was almost a smirk. He narrowed his eyes at the guard who met his stare with familiar bright green eyes. 

“Arthur?” Alfred gaped. He glanced from the guard to the queen still in view of the whole ballroom at his table. That Arthur was conversing with Yao and seemed to be content to be seated where he was. “What--How?” 

Arthur waved his hand dismissively. “You are aware that I know magic?” 

“An illusion? Isn’t that the King of Clubs’ ability? He’ll see through it.” Alfred said, scowling. 

“It’s good that he’s not here then, isn’t it?” Arthur replied with a scoff. “I heard you were the last to see him from this party.” 

“Gilbert tell you that?” 

Arthur hummed in agreement. “He got me out of there, didn’t he?” 

“What about Yao?” 

“Gilbert is with him. I was assured the man would get him out.” 

“Gilbert?” Alfred frowned. He looked from the Arthur beside him to the Arthur seated at the high table. “You exchanged places?” 

“Very good,” Arthur said and Alfred ducked his head, hiding the smile on his face from the praise. Arthur was still his mentor, after all, despite the long time spent in between. Gods, has it been so long? “Perhaps, you’re not so hopeless, after all.” 

Alfred gave Arthur an indignant look. “I could still leave you here.” 

“You could,” Arthur agreed but it was clear from the smile on his face that he wasn’t worried about that happening. 

“So, what’s the plan?” 

Arthur gave him an unimpressed look. “I was made to believe  _ you  _ had one.” 

“Yeah? I was hoping you had something better.” 

 

\-----

 

“Will you dance with me, your highness?” 

Gilbert looked up from his drink to see Elizabeta standing close. She looked ready to kill so it was probably good that he couldn’t see her sword anywhere close. He smiled and placed his drink on a servant’s tray as he stood. “Of course,” he said as he took her hand.

The song was just changing and Gilbert resisted the urge to look around, to try and see where Alfred was and if Arthur had managed to find their errant king. “So you do have something to do with the riot in the city?” 

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gilbert answered as the two of them got in position. Her hand was a steady weight on his shoulder and he met her eyes as he spoke. “I didn’t even know there was a riot.” 

“I’m not an idiot, Gil,” she scowled at him. “Roderich and I would recognize you anywhere.” 

The music and the dance had begun but Gilbert had not faltered in the steps. He moved until he was in a position behind her with his hands on her waist. “And where is our Jack of Clubs?” 

“Are you admitting to the crime?” 

“What? Me?” Gilbert said as they turned once again and she was facing him, cold fury in her eyes. “Would I do that to a fellow queen?” 

“You’re no queen,” she said and he scowled as it seemed like she had deliberately stepped on his foot. No one seemed to have noticed and she smiled at him. “You’re not even trying anymore.” 

“I don’t know what you want from me,” Gilbert said, dropping the act for her. It was useless by now. She knew him too well. 

“Funny,” she said though her tone said it was anything but. “I could say the same thing about you. Tell me something, Gil. Are you really our friend?” 

Gilbert frowned and tightened his hold on her hand. “Elizabeta,” he said in a voice barely more than a whisper. His expression seemed closed off and he shook his head. “I have plans that I can’t tell you but I promise that none of them will bring you harm.” 

“You promise?” At his nod, she scoffed and stepped back. “That’s just the thing, isn’t it, Gil? You can’t trust us but you expects us to trust you. You should remember that you were the one who taught me that in this world of royals and courts, one’s promises, their words, they mean nothing.”

“I guess it’s too much to ask for your trust, huh?” 

Elizabeta cocked her head and regarded him with curious eyes. “You’ve never asked for that before.” 

“I never deserved it,” Gilbert replied with a grimace. The song has stopped but their gazes were still locked on each other and his fists clenched by his sides. He blew out a breath and unclenched them, raising one to cup her face. “I am sorry.” 

“For what?” Elizabeta said and there was nothing forgiving or pitying in her eyes. He loved her for that. He didn’t need forgiveness or pity. “For asking us to trust you?” 

“For a lot of things,” Gilbert admitted with a laugh. “For nothing.” 

“Cryptic, like always,” she scowled and batted his hand away from her face. “You should apologize for the fact that it’s never really us you see when we talk, when we face each other. You see someone else.” 

Gilbert bit his lip and looked at the floor, avoiding her gaze like it might see too much if he let it. They weren’t stupid. He always knew that. He would never stop loving them but the past was also a tangible thing that was always there. A different face and a different time. Roderich Edelstein and Elizabeta Hedervary. Maria Edelstein and Daniel Héderváry. 

He blinked and gave her a cocky grin. “Now, who else would it be, my queen?” 

She shook her head. “Nevermind,” she said. “You can have your games, Gil. But, we’re not about to just lay down and play by your rules.” 

With that, she turned and left him by himself. She marched to the far side of the ballroom, to the entrance where she was swallowed up by a group of guards who had come to meet their queen. Elizabeta was very capable of taking care of herself, Gilbert had to remind himself before he could follow her. She didn’t need him. She and Roderich had each other and Gilbert had other things to think about. 

Still, he found himself smiling at that confrontation. Elizabeta would not leave any stone unturned. He shook himself, remembering a soldier who was very much the same. Daniel would have been proud of her. 

“I guess it runs in the blood, huh?” Gilbert chuckled before he turned and headed for the Jack of Spades. It was about time he did his part. 

 

\-----

 

The library was empty as they came in. Alfred surveyed the high shelves of books and scrolls, looking at the shadowed books and corners where one might be hidden. He remembered hiding from Arthur and Yao’s lessons in those shadowed places enough to know that just because the room looked empty didn’t mean that it actually was. 

“Why the library?” Alfred asked turning to Arthur when he could be fairly sure that there was no one to jump from the shadows to take a shot at them. 

“There is something I must retrieve,” Arthur answered. “It is imperative that it does not fall into enemy hands.” 

“Enough to risk our possible escape route?” Alfred frowned. “Leon said the tunnels into the castle is accessed from the kitchens.” 

“The network of tunnels beneath Litera is vast and complex. There is a way to get there through one of the castle’s secret passages. One of which you could access through here.” 

Alfred snorted. “Well, that’s just convenient,” he said with a touch of sarcasm. 

“Do not be cross with me, Alfred. My ancestors were quite...paranoid.” Alfred watched Arthur pull out a series of books before returning them to different places. When Arthur had returned the last book he had removed to another place, a panel on the shelf slid and the queen reached in, pulling out the pocket watch Alfred had seen on him more than once. 

“What is it?” Alfred asked peering at the watch. “I thought it was just the usual artifice from the university.” 

“It is that but also more. Our bloodline has always been gifted with the magical arts. The first queen decided to try and create his own relic, something to challenge the four gifts of the Joker. They never did like how much the Joker interferes with their lives.” 

“Do you believe in him?”

“What?” Arthur seemed startled and confused by the question. His eyebrows were scrunched together and his lips turned down in a frown. 

“The joker,” Alfred pointed out. “Do you think he exists?”

“Is this the time for philosophical discussions?” 

Alfred grimaced. “Yeah, sorry, you’re right. I was just curious.” 

“The answer is no,” Arthur said as he pulled Alfred towards the back of a library. There were four tapestries hanging over the back wall of the library. The first kings of Clubs and Spades. The first Queens of Diamonds and Hearts. “The more likely explanation is that the Joker was an extremely talented mage.” 

Alfred hummed as he watched Arthur push aside the tapestries of the queens. “So where does this lead us?” 

 

——-

 

Matthew has never been to battle. He has heard the stories, of course, from Matthias and Bernard. Sometimes, Gil would talk of his own battles. He was never specific but Matthew knew enough to know that Gil had seen his fair share of war. 

He has never been to battle but he’s heard the horror stories. 

The young man stared at the corpse at his feet. A guard who was either too stupid or too brave to simply allow the rioting masses to pass like the rest of his comrades did. 

Matthew jerked to attention when Lukas laid a hand on his arm. “I wish there was another way,” Matthew whispered. He didn’t really have to whisper. There was too much noise. People running and screaming. There was the sound of steel clashing and spells being thrown about. “Are we,” he swallowed at the bile threatening to rise in his throat. “Are we doing the right thing?” 

“I don’t know,” Lukas said, honestly. Matthew appreciated and he blew out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

“Do you think Alfred’s alright?” 

Lukas threw out his arm, bringing up a barrier to keep some soldiers from reaching them. “We have our own things to worry about, Matthew.” 

“I know,” Matthew said, softly. The bravado he showed acting like his brother was gone. His shoulders were slumped and his fingers curled tightly around the hilt of his sword. The weight felt wrong in his hand and he wondered at his brother who always carried this burden with him. 

“Joker protect him,” Matthew whispered the short prayer, watching the skies above them before diving back into battle. 

 

——-

 

“Your games do not amuse me, Joker,” the voice came from the shadows and Gilbert chuckled, leaning forward, his weight balanced on his forearms on the balcony railing. 

He glance over his shoulder but there was no one there. Typical. Still, it has been ages since he has spoken with someone who knew the truth about him. He drummed his fingers on the railing, watching as a fire started somewhere in the city, the smoke rising in the skyline. Arthur would be pissed at them, or just at Alfred. Gilbert doesn’t plan on seeing the Queen of Spades for a while. 

Gilbert snapped his fingers to materialize an old chess piece in his hand. A king with the symbol of Clubs on his crown. He placed it on the railing beside him, keeping his forefinger on top of the king’s crown. “Your move now,” he said, turning to the shadows. 

“You believe that you have already won?” 

“I’ve always been good with games,” Gilbert said. “Too good.” He scoffed and scratches his fingernail down the side of the chess piece. “They still sing songs about the games I won to this day.” 

“You have it all wrong. They sing of your failure.” 

Gilbert laughed, the sound full of loathing and bitterness. “Yeah,” he agreed. “That, too. But you know what they say about the Joker involving himself in history.” 

“And there is your mistake,” the man spat out. “You have yet to stop thinking of yourself as that desperate man who stole a crown and a kingdom for himself. Haven’t you learned from your mistakes or those of your predecessors, White King?” 

Gilbert clenched his fists and whirled, toppling the chess piece and letting it fall to the ground with a clatter. He glared at the shadows and wondered if he was going insane after so long. Maybe he wasn’t talking to anyone at all, maybe it was the same as before when drinking from the cup of hearts had driven him insane. Maybe he had managed to lie to himself this whole time and he was well and truly still trapped in his madness. 

He shook his head and scowled. He can hear the man’s laughter, haunting and painful in its reminder of his defeat as the White King. “This can’t go on forever. You’ll lose eventually.” 

“Better men than you have tried, Gilbert Beilschmidt. They have all failed and now that their power and title has passed on to you, you shall fail as well, as you have done time and again even when you were still human.” 

Gilbert sneered. “You’re right. I was king and I failed. But, you know what I learned? You can conquer whatever lands you want, control whoever you want, but everyone’s reign ends. Even yours, Winter. I’ll make sure of it. I already have the pieces in place.” 

“Very well then. Know that I warned you, Joker.” 

Gilbert waited for a while before he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He glared at the chess piece on the ground before he snapped his fingers, letting fire burn through it all just as it was burning through parts of the city. It was a shame too. He’d always loved this city. 

He glared at the twisting banners of Spades and Clubs that still hung from one of the towers, a mockery of a supposed alliance. If his plan worked, it might be more than a mockery. “You better not fail, Alfred. You’re my trump card. You’ll win this for me.” 

 

\-----

 

Alfred skidded to a stop when Arthur held up a hand. “Wait,” Arthur said, before Alfred could push the panel open into the hallway. “I have a bad feeling.” 

“What!?” Alfred exclaimed, incredulous. “Artie, we’re in a tight schedule here. We shouldn’t just stop because of a bad feeling.” 

“I am sure Francis had at least tried to instill some lessons into you while you were in Diamonds. Having all the information before one acts is necessary in situations such as the one we find ourselves in. You did say your brother was leading an attack on the palace,” Arthur said, waving his hand at their exit. “We don’t know whether they were successful or not which means we don’t what we’d find if we simply open that door.” 

Alfred’s shoulders slumped and he bit his lip. He blew out a breath and glared at the panel like it offended him. He did get it. You didn’t break into a house without knowing exactly where its owners were and when they were expected to return. You didn’t steal without sufficient distraction. He was just getting impatient. He was worried about their allies. He was worried about the kingdom. He wanted to get everything over with and it was making him sloppy. “Alright, you have a point. So? What now? We can’t just stay here forever.” 

“Of course not,” Arthur said. He walked up to the false wall, murmuring some spells before brushing his hand over the wall, making it transparent. Alfred jerked back and his hand twitched to get the dagger he’d hidden up his sleeve. There were guards, soldiers of Clubs, on the other side of that wall but they didn’t seem to have noticed the wall’s sudden change.

Arthur glanced at Alfred, noticing his discomfort. “Do not be alarmed. It is one-way window. Only we can see them.” 

Alfred relaxed only marginally. “I thought you said these passageways were secret.” 

“It is supposed to be,” Arthur agreed. He was frowning, his eyebrows scrunched up. Now, it was him who was glaring at the panel like it offended him. “It is known only to Spade Royalty. I was supposed to tell you after your coronation but things had happened and I was unable to.” 

“So it would be just you and Yao?” Alfred asked, already frowning. He didn’t want to think of those possibilities but Arthur was shaking his head. 

“No,” he replied. “My family would also know. Maybe Yao’s would as well. I am not certain.” 

“Well, that’s new. Artie admitting he doesn’t know something.” 

Arthur rolled his eyes. “We can only assume the other exits are compromised.” 

“Come on, Artie,” Alfred nudged the queen with an elbow and grinned. “Never assume anything, right? Make sure you have all the information? Let’s go check out the rest of these exits.” 

“I don’t believe that will be necessary.” 

The two of them turned to find Ivan, Roderich, and several of Clubs soldiers in the passageway behind them. Ivan had his staff with him and Alfred yearned for the sword that he had left with his brother. Nothing seemed to be going right for him that night. He hoped Matthew was doing better. 

Alfred blew out a breath, displacing a lock of his hair and grimacing at the other party. “Well, this is awkward. You don’t think we can have some kind of truce? I was hoping we’d seen the last of each other a while ago but it can’t be help. So, what do you think?” 

“I am wondering if you actually believed that would have worked in your favor,” Ivan said, looking amused. “Still, it seems you have regained some of your humor.” 

Alfred shrugged. “Never hurts to try,” he smirked. He glanced at Arthur and took a step in front of the queen, keeping his voice low as he spoke. “I’ll take care of them. You should go before they surround us.” 

“I’m not leaving you here!” 

“You’re not,” Alfred grinned, reassuringly. “Out of us two, you’d have a better chance to figure out how to help our people. Right? And really? I have nothing important on me. Go find my brother and the others. Get out.” 

“You will find us,” Arthur said and Alfred could hear the masked concern in his voice. He really didn’t want to betray the queen’s confidence in him but he had meant it. It would mean more to everyone if it was Arthur who got away. 

“Who do you think I am?” Alfred laughed. “I’m a hero. Of course I will. Heroes always come at the right time.” 

Arthur nodded. He muttered something and threw out his hand in the direction of their opponents. A green glow managed to knock back two of the soldiers but Ivan, Roderich and one other still stood in their way. The same green glow of magic began to surround Arthur before the queen turned and ran, going through a different corridor than the false wall behind them. Alfred watched impressed as the queen ran at a speed he was sure even he can never achieve. 

When the soldiers tried to pursue them, Alfred unsheathed his dagger and attacked them. He ducked under a swing of the sword as one man charged. The small space of the corridor, at least, meant that they had to pass him if they were to go after Arthur. They also had to go at him one or two at a time or risk harming each other in the process. 

Alfred set his mouth in a grim line as he struck at the man’s wrist, disarming him and taking up the sword as it fell, throwing his dagger to another one’s shoulder. Ivan’s staff was glowing and Alfred braced himself for an attack but instead he found the exit they were supposed to take behind him opening. Right, he thought, Ivan’s staff let him make those weird ghost-like constructs that could talk. He should have remembered that. 

He still fought but with the reinforcements, they soon had him disarmed and had his arms cuffed behind his back. “What should we do with the king of Spades?” A soldier asked. “Should we kill him?” 

“The king?” Ivan said and there was something amused and almost unnerving in his smile. Alfred winced as the soldier’s grip on his shoulder tightened. “I believe you’re mistaken. The king of Spades has a twin and so we have him. The king should be leading his forces by now. Go and stop him. The Jack and I shall take care of this. I’m sure the king would love to have his brother back.” 

The soldiers filed out and Alfred was sorely tempted to lash out at the remaining two but he was still staring in shock and confusion at the king. He doubted Ivan really thought he was Matthew but why lie? 

“What do you plan on doing, Ivan?” Roderich asked with a cool glance at Alfred before turning to his king.

“I expect we’ve already lost this city. We will retreat to the border, to the Winter Palace. My sisters should already be there.” Ivan glanced at Alfred and smiled. “I’m sure they’d love to meet you, Alfred.” 

“I imagine you want to keep up this farce?” The Jack adjusted his glasses and folded his hands behind his back. “Shall I tell the queen?” 

“Feel free but have no one else know,” Ivan said. He gripped Alfred’s chin, tilting his head up until their eyes met. “Let us see how a thief will do as a prisoner, shall we?” 

Alfred spat and tried to headbutt the king but Ivan had already stepped away, pushing Alfred until he had fallen on his butt. Chuckling, Ivan wiped at the spit on his cheek and Alfred scrambled to his feet, unbalanced by his arms still tied behind his back. He tried to charge at the king but Ivan simply caught him by the arm and gripped him around the waist. Alfred struggled, growling profanities and curses at Ivan.

“That won’t do,” Ivan murmured in his ear and Alfred snarled, intending to kick at the king’s knees but his position was making it difficult. “Roderich, if you will?” 

Roderich eyes him warily but stepped close and placed his hands over Alfred’s temple. “Sleep,” he said and it was all Alfred knew before the world turned black and he slumped in the King of Clubs’ arms. 

 

\-----

 

_ Masquerade _

 

_ Here is an old story, a tale from our father’s fathers, maybe our grandfather’s fathers, maybe farther than that. Once upon a time, the royals held grand balls of masquerade where people hid the truth of their identities from each other behind bejewelled and beautifully crafted masks. It was tradition, it was for peace, they said. If no one knew who each one was then any personal grudges would not get in the way of establishing treaties and relations between the kingdoms.  _

_ At times, everyone else liked to do it as well. Wear masks around the cities and hold parties that lasted until dawn and further. It was wonderful, beautiful, and exciting. People dancing in the streets, lanterns hung up on every street corner. Everyone can pretend to be whoever and whatever they want to be.  _

_ If it’s so wonderful, why has it stopped? Is that what you truly want to ask? Yes? Very well.  _

_ But, see that’s the thing about masks. People feel like they can do anything and everything. And they would. And they will. Let me tell you about the last masquerade, about betrayal who knows no bounds. Let me tell you about a queen or was it Jack, perhaps a king. See, after this long, the stories change. But, let me tell you, it was someone in the mask of a Joker.  _

_ You laugh, I see that. But, you’ve heard the stories. The Joker brings tragedy and ruin. The Joker brings laughter and blessings. Guess which one this was?  _

_ Madness and masques can make you do all sorts of things you would never have done before. There is power in knowing that no one knows who you are. A vial of poison and a whole castle dead. Imagine that. One night and four kingdoms are left without leaders, without royals. Somewhere out there, the joker probably laughed at that punchline because that’s what it was, you see. Just another punchline in a joke that mere mortals do not understand.  _

_ And so the masquerades stopped but the deaths never did, did it? The royals still wear mask. They just learned to hide it better.  _

 

_ \----- _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so late. Real life happened and all that. I had to reread past chapters and all before writing it again. Anyway, it's here now. Hope you enjoy! :)


	8. But I Never Changed a Single Color that I Breathe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe it's been so long? I'm sorry for the delay in the update of this chapter. I've been working on a lot of stuff and if some parts of this chapter may sound stilted or too formal, that would be because of all the research writing I've been doing. It's good to finally come back to something creative. I hope you enjoy! :)

\-----

> _From an old letter found in the Edelstein Suite of the Winter Palace:_
> 
> _Gilbert,_
> 
> _I hope you are well. The court is as suffocating as you’ve said. True, the palaces are beautiful but nothing compares to the adventures we took up together. Maria has become a constant companion. You’ll like her, I think. I will introduce you both when you visit._
> 
> _How goes your quest for the crown? Methinks, you should abandon it instead. Join us. You don’t have to be king. You don’t have to be anything. I don’t want you to be anything else. We shall be happier that way._
> 
> _Ever yours,  
>  Daniel _

\-----

Alfred woke up in a gilded cage.

That may be a bit of an exaggeration but it sure felt like the truth when he saw the room he was in. High ceiling, walls gilded in gold and silver, carpeted hardwood floors, and tall glass windows were some of the first things he noticed. The double doors that would probably lead outside were closed and Alfred would assume, locked. 

For a moment when he woke up, he thought he had gone back in time, in the time right after he took up the sword and became King. He thought he was back in the palace of Spades, learning from the queen and jack all the things that were necessary for him to be king. 

But, then he blinked and remembered the disastrous festival and the ball, and Ivan. He groaned and threw his arm over his eyes, realizing that his situation was far from ideal. 

He might be a long way from home. 

Alfred stood up and crossed the room, trying the doors. It was locked like he thought. Someone had changed his clothes while he slept and he couldn’t find his things when he looked through the room, definitely could not find the lock picks he had hidden up his sleeve. It was time for another tactic then. 

He tried the windows. They were also locked. Locks never stopped him, not even when he didn’t have his specialized tools to work with. He can work around that. 

That was how Toris had found him with a chair raised over his head, ready to bash the windows open. It was, perhaps, not the best first impression. 

“So you work here?” Alfred asked, stuffing his mouth with some of the food Toris had brought with him. The tray was on the table beside the bed and Alfred had returned the chair where he’d found it by the desk across the room when Toris had caught him. The other man still had not mentioned how he found Alfred when he had come in, hadn’t said anything really but his introduction before he went to cleaning up around the room. 

“Yes,” he answered. 

“For Clubs? For Ivan?” Alfred asked, words muffled through the food still in his mouth. “That can’t be fun.” 

“It is an honor to serve your country,” Toris replied with an amused smile as he watched Alfred wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. Alfred was probably ignoring all of Artie’s teachings but Artie wasn’t there and he had no obligation to any of the people here. “The job is rewarding enough.” 

Alfred frowned. “Is it?” 

“I had heard that the King of Spades was a thief in the past,” Toris said. “What did his brother do?” 

“His brother?” Alfred frowned at the sudden change of subject. Where did Mattie suddenly fit into all of this. 

“Yes,” Toris said, nodding at Alfred’s direction. “What did you do?” 

Alfred turned away from the servant to hide his shock. Right, Ivan’s lie from before. He had almost forgotten about that. It felt strange to refer to himself as his own brother. “Right,” Alfred said, hesitating and biting his lips. “I guess I helped out at an inn.” 

“An inn?” 

“Ran by the people who took us in when we had nowhere to go as children,” Alfred answered with a shrug. “It seemed right. As repayment, I guess.” 

“Likewise,” Toris answered. He stood in front of the window, frowning at it and Alfred watched him wondering if the other was checking it over for damages. “Will you be needing anything else, my lord?” 

Alfred snorted. “My lord? Al’s fine.” 

“Al? Isn’t that confusing with your brother?” 

Alfred froze and shrugged. “It’s never bothered us before.” 

Toris frowned but moved away from the window to take the tray from where Alfred had placed it. “So, will there be anything else?” 

“Do you know where the rest of my stuff is? My old stuff?” 

“I assume the royals had deemed it to dangerous to allow you access to any of it. We do not know if any of your items would have any trace of spells or artifice in it to help you escape.” 

“I guess that would mean asking for a way out is out of the question?” Alfred joked, startling a laugh from Toris. Alfred grinned. “Got you to laugh.” 

He stood out to stretch and look around the room for another way out like he had been doing before Toris had come in. He could try with the chair again. Maybe it was the way he was eyeing the furniture that had the servant pausing by the door. Toris cleared his throat and Alfred sent him a questioning look. 

“My lord? I would appreciate it if you do not get me in trouble by causing damage to anything in the palace. Please promise me I wouldn’t find you as I did before.” 

Alfred gave him a sheepish smile. “Do I have to?” 

Toris did not look amused. “Please,” he said. 

Alfred blew out an exaggerated breath. “Fine. I’ll find another way.” 

Maybe it said a lot that Toris didn’t even try to discourage him looking for another way. He really wouldn’t know. By the time Toris had left, Alfred had gone back to lying down on the bed, with his head pillowed on his arms and staring at the ceiling above him. He needed to find another way but at the moment, it seemed he was content to stay where he was.

\-----

Alfred stared at the food in front of him as the servants filed out of the room, dismissed by the man across him. Ivan smiled at him, picking up one of his spoons and pointing it at the food. “Eat, Alfred,” he said. “It’s not poisoned.”

“Of course you’ll say that,” Alfred muttered and scoffed but he picked up his own spoon. “Don’t know that I’ve got an iron stomach for this sort of thing. Survived Artie’s cooking and everything.” 

“Is that so?” 

“Hey, man, do me a favor?” Alfred grinned at the other king. “Try to pretend you don’t hear me talking to myself.” 

“You are taking to being a prisoner very easily. I would even say it’s suspicious.” Ivan said with a nod at Alfred’s direction. 

“Are you giving me a choice? Will I be free to leave if I want?” 

“Of course not, Alfred. You are a guest here in the Winter Palace.” Ivan said. He took a sip of the wine and looked at Alfred, folding his hands over the table. “It is a good place, no? I have been told that it is something that both our countries had contributed to making.” 

Alfred frowned, stirring his soup listlessly with the spoon in his hand. “Spades and Clubs actually worked together on something?” 

“Our countries were not always enemies.” 

“Funny, it was you who told me about that whole fairy tale. The Lady of Summer and the Prince of Blue, I mean. It seems like an old thing, this trouble between the countries.” Alfred said with a bitter laugh. “I mean, we’ve all lost family in the battles, haven’t we?” 

“Have we?” Ivan was giving him a thoughtful look. The older king pursed his lips and continued eating. “Perhaps,” he said after a long pause. “We have lost things and not always because of a war but we are kings. We can prevent it.” 

Alfred slammed his spoon on the table with such force, it toppled his glass and spilled wine all over the table cloth. He ignored it and glared at Ivan, his hand curling around the spoon so tightly he had bent it out of shape. “Let me guess,” he said through gritted teeth, leaning forward and baring it to the other king in a threat. “This is where you ask me to join your cause to conquer the world.” 

“You and I, Alfred, we both know what it means to be weak, to not have any power. We both know what it means to not be a king. We can help people.” 

“By taking away their freedom!?” He scoffed and shook his head. “That’s bullshit! The kingdoms are fine as it is.” 

“The kingdoms that you speak of were once one entire empire. Your kingdom did not become an empire without conquest, Alfred. Do not pretend to be ignorant of your own history or try to deny it.” 

“I’m not denying it!” Alfred stood up, uncurling his hand from the fist that it had formed around the spoon. The spoon clattered on the carpeted floor, a soft sound unheard. Alfred turned and started pacing the length of the room. “I know, alright! I know how we fought others for that land that we have. I know how bad we were, how bad it still is. I was going to change it, give everyone a chance. But, you never gave me the chance.” 

Ivan finished his own meal and calmly wiped his mouth with the napkin before he fixed Alfred with an unamused look. “Are you done?” He asked, throwing the napkin on the table as he stood. He leaned towards Alfred with his hands on the table. “I did what was necessary for both our kingdoms.” 

“Necessary?” Alfred scowled and crossed his arms. “We both need to talk about what you think is necessary cause I don’t think you’re right.” 

“Of course not,” Ivan placed his hands behind his back, clasping his wrist with one hand as he walked around the table towards the other king. “Whether you admit or not, you desire power like everyone else and I took it from you just as you had a taste of it.” 

“You’re wrong,” Alfred frowned, hanging his head and staring at the fallen spoon on the floor. “I just wanted to do something right, something good for once and _you_ took that from _me_. I don’t want war, Ivan. Can’t we stop this?” 

“I’m afraid I can’t let that happen,” Ivan said as he stopped in front of the young man. “It is simple, is it not? With one country, we will no longer be divided. We will be able to help more people, to give to more people.” 

“It’s not that simple,” Alfred insisted. 

“And what does a street rat like you know about it?” 

Alfred shrugged. “You’re right. Maybe I don’t know anything about politics. But, I know other things. I know people. I know there will always be people who would fight to live free rather than die in comfort without that freedom. I don’t that you won’t get rid of fighting that easily. Stop being stupid, Ivan.” 

“Look me in the eye, Alfred,” Ivan commanded. When Alfred did not move, still staring at the floor, Ivan forced him to look up with a hand around his chin, fingers digging into his cheeks. “What has your freedom ever really brought you? Hunger and strife? A life on the streets? Surely, it’s not worth it.” 

Alfred grimaced and fought the urge to spit on the other king. “I could say the same for you, your highness,” Alfred said with a sneer. “Was the power worth whatever you gave up for it? Are you happy now?” 

Ivan looked startled and Alfred relished at the look on the other king’s face before Ivan had wiped it blank. The King of Clubs let him go and stood back. “An interesting sentiment,” Ivan said with a chuckle. “Perhaps I shall think about it tonight, da?” 

Alfred snorted. Ivan was already by the double doors that led outside by the time the young king of Spades spoke up again. “It wasn’t that hard a question, was it? It’s just that you don’t like the answer, don’t you? You’re not happy.” 

Ivan paused outside, head tilting as he looked at Alfred over his shoulder. “Then tell me, Alfred, are you?”

\-----

There were footsteps entering the corridor where his cell was. It was probably Toris, bringing him his dinner like he has for the past week since Alfred’s failed escape attempt. A pathetic attempt that didn’t even get him to the front gates of the so-called winter palace. He was getting bored. There was really nothing to do in the cell.

“Well, you don’t look dead to me, at least.” 

Alfred’s head snapped up at the sound of Gilbert’s familiar voice. Gilbert stood outside his cell in his familiar black but with a sash in the green of clubs wrapped around his torso from his shoulder to hip. 

“Gil?” Alfred stood up and frowned. “What are you doing here?” 

“Friends in high places, remember? In almost all the countries,” Gil drawled and snickered. “Joker, kid, you look a mess. Still, better than dead, I guess.” 

“You thought I died?” 

“They all do,” Gilbert said as he sat down without any regard for his fine clothing and the dirty floor of the dungeon hallway. “Congratulations, Alfred. You’re a martyr.” 

Alfred stared. The mention of the others, of everyone back home had him missing them all the more. He took a deep breath and wondered if it would be better to know the truth or to stay ignorant. He licked his lips and mirrored Gilbert’s position, sitting cross-legged on the floor at the other side of the bars. “Did they all survive? Did anyone die?” 

“Some people did,” Gilbert nodded. “Soldiers and civilians both but the ones you care about, the ones you’re really asking me about? They’re safe. No need to worry.” 

“Did they send you here?” 

“Oh, come on, kid, I thought you knew me better by now,” Gilbert grinned. “No one sends me anywhere. I’m too awesome for orders.” 

“I’m not really joking, Gil.” 

“Neither am I,” Gilbert said. The white-haired man shrugged. “You have to understand, Alfred. It’s important to me that you stay here with Ivan and the others for now. It’s all part of a plan, you see. I need you to give the people of this kingdom a chance. I know you’ve talked to Ivan. You know he’s not some evil overlord for you, the hero, to defeat.” 

“Am I a hero?” Then, Alfred scoffed at the idea and shook his head. He remembered telling Peter that he was one before, for what feels like forever ago. He missed the kid, really. He missed his home and family. “I can’t believe that.” 

“That’s for you to decide.” Gilbert said, leaning forward and wrapping his hand around the bar. “This won’t hold you for long. He won’t let you stay here for long. You’ve still got a lot to learn here so stay put. Things will work out eventually.” 

“And I’m supposed to just believe you?” 

“When have I ever lied to you? I would say never.” 

“You just did,” Alfred laughed. “Don’t even try to deny it, Gil. You’ve been lying to me from the very beginning. I don’t even have any idea who or what you’re supposed to be. It feels like you belong everywhere and nowhere and that doesn’t make any sense.” 

“It’s not supposed to make any sense, Alfred.” Gil laughed again. “But you’re a lot better off than I was before, trust me on that.” 

“What you were before? Are you ever going to tell me that? Why are you doing this? Who are you? Is that something I’ll learn here in Clubs too?” 

“It’s something you already know,” Gilbert said, standing up. He wiped his hands on his trousers and grinned at Alfred. He cocked his head and pursed his lips. They heard the sound of a door closing shut and footsteps approaching. Gilbert looked down the hall before he turned to Alfred and leaned forward to tousle the young man’s hair. “Once I was like you. I was a king, the king of hearts. Everyone knows me. You know me, Alfred. Once,” he whispered, almost theatrically, his red eyes glinting in the magelight of the artificed lamps. “Once, I was called the white king.” 

Then, Gilbert was gone as if he had never been there just as the Queen of Clubs rounded the corner and came towards his cell. Alfred blinked and wondered if he had been dreaming, if it had been Ivan messing with his head again. 

The White King. It was insane. The White King was a legend that was centuries dead.

\-----

He felt nostalgic as he entered the gardens. He had first met Ivan overlooking one, after all and he still remembers meeting the diplomats and other royals in the past. It was different here, he thought, touching a silver leaf with his fingers. The plants were stranger and almost too fantastic to believe they were real. Silver leaves and golden boughs, and flowers with an almost crystal-like sheen.

“They say the gardens were created through magic, alchemy and artifice,” Toris said beside him. 

“It looks great,” Alfred agreed. 

“Even better, it lasts through the winter.” 

Alfred turned at the sound of the voice. Toris had bowed beside him and he wondered at the identity of the women standing in front of him. It was the queen who told him to come to the gardens that day but neither was the familiar Elizabeta. 

“You must be our brother’s guest, yes?” The woman with shorter hair asked. Her smile was kind and warm, and Alfred found himself returning it even as she took his hand in both of hers. “My name is Yekaterina but you may call me Katyusha. This is my sister, Natalya.”

Alfred smiled, planning to offer his hand in greeting to the other girl only to freeze at the sight of the glare the other was sending him. Natalya had a slight build and was definitely smaller than Alfred but just that cold look alone was enough to make him feel threatened. Alfred reminded himself that Clubs’ army was led by its Queen Elizabeta. He should expect no less from anyone here but it was still unnerving. 

“Um. Hi?” Alfred offered. “I’m Al.” 

“So, we’ve been told,” Natalya scoffed. “I do not understand why Vanya is so interested in you.” 

“Vanya?” Alfred asked. 

“Ivan,” Katyusha said. Alfred chose to turn to her, ignoring the still threatening look from the other girl. “He is our brother.” 

And that was not what he was expecting. Of course the king would have a family. He had Matthew, after all, but somehow he never expected to know of them or even to meet them. He didn’t expect that they would allow such a thing and it was even the queen who had allowed such an event to pass. 

“Oh.” It was all he was able to say. He glanced at Natalya again. The sisters were both beautiful but Natalya was definitely the kind that would kill you if you said anything wrong. Still, he could see hints of Ivan in both of them and it made him wonder if the other king knew of this meeting or if he approved. 

“I was hoping to speak with you,” Katyusha said. She nodded to the path and linked their arms together. “Walk with me?” 

“I don’t think you’re giving me any choice,” Alfred teased with a grin. The three of them walked side by side down the path while Toris followed close behind. “And your sister doesn’t seem to want me here.” 

“You are a distraction to brother,” Natalya said. “You will bring nothing but trouble.” 

“Natalya,” Katyusha said, giving her sister a look. “This is good for Ivan. I am glad he’s taken more of an interest in what he’s doing beyond the fact that it is his job.” She turned to Alfred. “He has spoken about your brother, the King of Spades with great interest and fondness. I have to admit, Natalya and I may be a bit jealous.” 

Alfred flushed, looking away to hide it. Ivan spoke about him? But, they barely spoke in person. There were times in Diamonds, of course, when he saw Ivan’s ghost-like manifestation and would speak to it like normal just to combat his own fear of actual ghosts but that didn’t seem to paint a very good impression. He frowned. They never said Ivan said anything good about Alfred. 

“Really,” Alfred laughed, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily. “What did he say?” 

“That the King of Spades is childish and naive,” Natalya scoffed. “A bumbling fool who doesn’t know what he’s doing.” 

“Hey!” Alfred said, turning to the younger girl in adamant protest. “I--I mean, my brother does his best.” 

“He does,” Katyusha agreed. “All the royals do really. But, sometimes, it just isn’t enough. The Joker plays cruel tricks on us all.” 

“Did he play one on you?” 

Katyusha’s smile was sad and her eyes distant. She released him from her hold and took a step back. “It will be better,” she said. She nodded at Alfred. “Just as your own brother rose to power so did ours. Let us hope for blessings instead of tricks in the future.”

“Let’s hope you don’t choose wrong when that time comes, my lord,” Natalya smirks. “Or you just might find yourself dead.” 

“Natasha,” Katyusha frowned at her sister. “We discussed this.” 

“We should go,” Natalya said with a scoff. She smiled and in it, Alfred could see the terrifying sort of smile that Ivan sometimes gave. “Ivan is waiting.” 

“Until next time,” Katyusha inclined her head at Alfred before she followed her sister back into the palace.

\-----

Alfred tested the heft of his sword, swinging it before resting it point first in the ground. It was not the relic of Spades but it would do well enough. The queen of Clubs had her own practice sword and was taking practice swings before grinning at Alfred.

“Are you ready?” Elizabeta asked. 

“This isn’t some secret way to murder me, is it?” Alfred teased, chuckling as he took hold of his sword, raising it in front of him. 

“If I wanted to kill you, this wouldn’t be how I’d go about it,” Elizabeta shot back with a smile. She took her own position as she faced him and Alfred felt uneasy at the excited gleam in her eyes. This would not be like the sword masters he’d dueled for lessons in Diamonds, he thought. The queen may have said that she wasn’t planning on murdering him but she certainly seemed like she wouldn’t mind if it accidentally happened. 

“That’s not very reassuring,” Alfred said. He braced himself as Toris gave the signal for them to begin. 

“It wasn’t meant to be,” Elizabeta said. She rushed forward, attacking with an overhead slash. Alfred raised his sword to block it but she kicked towards his stomach making him stumble backwards, barely parrying her next strike. She stabbed her blade towards his shoulder and he sidestepped to avoid it, feeling the wind displaced by the strength of the strike as it passed him. Old habits overtook him and he stuck his foot out to trip her. 

Elizabeta stumbled but easily rolled to her feet. Alfred was about to apologize at the underhanded tactic he had used but Elizabeta was already laughing. Alfred frowned and kept his sword up in a guard position. 

“I almost forgot that you didn’t have the royal training just like me,” Elizabeta said. She crouched and changed the grip she had on her sword. “I’ll remember that this time.” 

What came next was a series of slashes and strikes that placed Alfred on a firm defensive. He could barely keep up, barely managing to dodge, block, or parry the blows she rained down on him. He was suddenly quite thankful he never had to face the queen on the night of their attack on the palace. He didn’t think he would have against her in an actual battle if it was taking all his training in Diamonds and the instinct for danger from the streets just to keep up with her now. 

Their swords crossed, the slide of metal against metal ringing in their ears. “Not gonna give me a chance, your highness?” Alfred gritted his teeth as he pushed at her. 

Elizabeta smirked. “If you want your chance, you have to take it from me.” Elizabeta twisted her sword and Alfred braced himself for a renewal of the flurry of attacks only for Elizabeta to strike with her fist on his wrist. He yelped and dropped his sword, shaking his hand as he gaped at her. Elizabeta hefted her sword over her shoulder and rested her other hand over her hip. “What? Only fools forget to use the rest of their body in a sword fight.” 

“Were you a fighter before you became queen?” Alfred asked. “A hero?” 

Elizabeta snorted and shook her head. “A hero? That’s funny. I was a mercenary. I worked for whoever could pay me.” 

Alfred laughed. “I stole from those people.” 

Elizabeta looked at him in amusement. “And now we’re those people, huh?” 

“It’s not a difficult thing to be when the decision is not truly ours, is it?” Alfred jumped and glared at the approaching figure of the King of Clubs. 

“What do you know?” Alfred scoffed. “You’ve always been a king, haven’t you?” 

“Get me a sword,” Ivan ordered Toris who scampered to obey the king. Ivan cocked his head, examining Alfred. “Not always. I told you I am not the monster that you think I am.” Ivan took the sword from Toris and pointed the blade at Alfred. 

Alfred stared at the sword, his expression unusually blank. “Finally going to kill me, your highness?” 

“Nonsense,” Ivan smiled. “I was hoping we could have a friendly match just as you did with the queen.” 

“We’re anything but friendly,” Alfred said, getting into position. “But, sure, it’s not like I have any other choice.” 

This time, it was Alfred who attacked first. He pressed his advantage, attacking in quick strikes as if he was using a long dagger instead of a short sword. Ivan barely faltered. Alfred gritted his teeth and gripped his sword tighter. He screamed as he jumped and came down in an overhand strike. Blue sigils appeared on the flat of the blade as it collided with Ivan’s sword. From the point of contact, Ivan’s sword started rusting as if it had been years since it has been used. 

“What the?” Alfred scowled and jumped back even as Ivan casually tossed the half-rusted sword to the ground. “What the hell are you trying, Ivan?” 

“Me?” Ivan laughed. “You must be mistaken, Alfred. That was all you.” 

“I’m not the one with the powers of illusion or whatever,” Alfred tossed his own sword on the ground.

“An unconscious act, then. How disappointing,” Ivan said, looking down at Alfred. Alfred clenched his fists, fighting the urge to deck the other. “There I was hoping you weren’t so hopeless as a king chosen by the Joker’s gift.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” 

“It is of no consequence to you,” Ivan said, easily dismissing Alfred as he turned towards Elizabeta. “We should go. Roderich would be waiting for us. The council needs our approval for something.” 

Elizabeta scowled. “Don’t they always,” she said. “Please don’t interrupt another one of my sparring sessions, Ivan. See you later, Al.” 

Alfred watched them leave before glaring at the swords on the ground. It was still unnerving how little he knew. He hated Ivan’s little patronizing smiles that made Alfred feel so stupid. “What did he mean,” he muttered under his breath as he helped Toris put away the swords. He still remembered the burn of energy under his hands and wondered if, just this once, he should believe Ivan’s words.

\-----

“Are you snooping around?”

Alfred flinched and peeked from where he was looking at the wall from behind the tapestry. The tunnels they used in the palace in Spades gave him the idea of trying to look for something similar in the Winter Palace. It may be occupied by Clubs now but he remembered someone saying it was once Spades’ territory. 

Natalya was glaring at him and he grimaced as he stepped away from the tapestry. “I’m just exploring.” 

She scoffed and crossed her arms. “Of course,” she said in a disbelieving tone. “It’s not another one of your pathetic attempts at escape.” 

“I almost got away the last time,” Alfred laughed. “That wasn’t pathetic.” 

She scowled at him. “I don’t know why my brother insists on having you here. He should have had you executed as a warning to the King of Spades or locked up in our dungeons to use as a bargaining chip later. He’s way too lenient on you.” 

“Ivan, huh?” 

“What about him? My brother is the best king among all the others,” Natalya said. Alfred stepped back at the menacing tone in her voice, raising his hands up as if in surrender. He looked around, trying to see if anyone could get him out of that situation. No such luck. 

“I didn’t say anything bad,” Alfred countered. 

Natalya clicked her tongue and turned to walk away from him. She paused after a moment, looking over her shoulder with an icy glare at his direction. Alred tried for a guileless smile but she only seemed to grow angrier. “Come with me,” she ordered before continuing to walk away. 

Alfred sighed and wondered if it would be worth it to sneak off at that moment. He looked around the hallway and the many doors lined up. He didn’t know enough of the place really. 

“Perhaps, I didn’t make it clear,” Natalya said, facing him with a scowl on her face. She had a knife in her hand and Alfred had to wonder if she had many more of those hidden in her clothes and such. “I will give chase and it will not be a pretty sight. Even my brother’s orders will not be a deterrent to such a case.” 

Alfred followed her, resigned to whatever fate he was getting from Ivan’s sister. He couldn’t really read Natalya, wasn’t sure if she would really go through with her threat or not. In many ways, she reminded him of the enforcers of the criminal organizations in the city. You did not want to offend anyone like that. 

“Where are we going?” Alfred asked after he was sure they’ve turned around enough hallways that he’d never find his way back. Not alone, at least. 

“I’m taking you to my brother,” Natalya pressed her lips in a displeased line. “I’m sure he’ll be able to make sense of you.” 

They emerged outside and she led him down a stone path towards a glass building in the distance. A greenhouse, Alfred thought. He did not expect that. She brought him to the entrance and opened the door, gesturing for him to go inside. 

“You’re not coming with me?” 

“I’ll let Ivan deal with you if he’s so enamored with a Spadian pig,” Natalya sneered. 

“That’s just rude,” Alfred scowled. 

“Is it? The army of Spades once massacred an entire village for the sake of their war. I think that warrants some comments, does it not?” 

Before Alfred could say anything else, Natalya had left him standing by the door, marching back down the stone path with steady, graceful steps. Alfred blew out a breath, watching the air cloud in front of him. It really got colder the closer you got to Clubs territory. 

He went inside the greenhouse since he was already there. It didn’t fit his image of Ivan who made him think of illusion, poison, mask, and lies. The colorful plants of the greenhouse seemed pretty much a beautiful, precious thing, a gift his mother would have said from nature. Alfred found Ivan in front of a row of plants, holding a bag and pulling out weeds that he placed in it. He must have made some noise when he came in because Ivan was already looking in his direction with a fond smile. 

The smile disappeared. “I expected Natalya. I thought I heard her voice,” Ivan said. 

“She left,” Alfred shrugged. “She said you can go deal with me.” 

“Did she now?” 

“She’s damn terrifying,” Alfred said, shuddering from remembering her threat of chasing him down. “I don’t understand it.” 

“We all learn what we must to survive our circumstances.” 

“Circumstances?” Alfred licked his lips, suddenly thinking of Natalya’s words. He gripped his wrist tightly in his hand, curling his fingers to dig into the skin. He thought of his father who had never come back from war, a mother who died of sickness and a brother who believed him dead. He took a deep breath and raised his eyes to meet Ivan’s. “Like a village massacred in war?” 

Ivan froze. Alfred could see the white of his knuckles as his grip tightened on the bag he held. Ivan took a breath and let it out before slowly placing the bag down by the plants. “Where did you hear that?” He asked and his voice sounded far too controlled, like he was holding back a thousand other things, a thousand other emotions. 

“Natalya told me,” Alfred said, dropping his gaze on the ground. He toed some dirt and scratched a line in the dirt. It was somehow more difficult to meet Ivan’s gaze now, to see the carefully controlled coldness that replaced the momentary flash of pain. It was far too familiar a sight. 

“Did she?” Ivan said. “And why would that come up?” 

“She called me a Spadian pig,” Alfred scoffed. “Not the worst insult I’ve heard but it seems to be more directed to the entirety of my country rather than myself.” 

“Of course it was,” Ivan murmured. “It’s not for you to worry about.” 

Alfred raised his head and glared at the other king. “Isn’t it? If that’s the reason for this war, you should just call it off. It’ll just end up in more situations like that. I should know. I lost my parents because of this on and off war between our kingdoms. But, you knew that, didn’t you? All the talks of how similar we are.” Alfred scoffed and sneered. “I don’t want revenge. I’m not like you.” 

Ivan didn’t speak and Alfred watched him stare at the plants all around them. “This is my favorite place in the palace,” he said. “It is full of life, da? So are you. I’ve forgotten what that has been like. You’re right,” Ivan said as he stepped closer until there was a barely a space between them. Alfred could feel the warmth of the other when they were this close.He forced himself not to glance around, looking for exits with the way Ivan closed in on him like he was planning on keeping him trapped. “It was for revenge. Now, I’m not so sure.” 

“So, call it off!” Alfred gripped the other’s collar and brought them closer together. “You’re the king,” he spat out, fingers digging into the fabric of Ivan’s coat. He could feel the warmth of the other’s scarf, could smell dew and dirt on him from working in the gardens. A familiar scent that made Alfred miss his home, his family, all the more. “You can do what you want.” 

Ivan covered Alfred’s hands with his own gloved ones. His hands went around Alfred’s wrists curling tightly. “I can’t do that. This is for the best, Alfred. It would be good to have our countries be one. No more war.”

“Ivan, please,” Alfred felt his grip loosen as he felt the despair and homesickness, as he felt the weight of all his mistakes as king. “It doesn’t have to be like this.” 

“No, it does not,” Ivan said. Alfred frowned in confusion before he felt the lightest touch of Ivan’s lips on his own. For a moment, he froze, uncertain and nervous about moving, about doing anything. He wanted to push Ivan and run as far as away as he could, back to Spades, back to Litera and his family, and his days as a thief until he’s forgotten his every moment as king. He wanted to pull Ivan close, pretend it was the coronation all over again and they were not enemies but tentative friends, allies, and there was no war, just peace and the frustration of the court. 

Alfred was still looking at Ivan in shock as the other king stepped away, with a momentary gentle brush of a thumb over Alfred’s cheek. “You don’t belong here, Alfred. The winter will snuff out the sunlight in you.” 

Alfred blinked, fingers pressing over his lips and the lingering feel of another’s on it. “What was that?” He whispered in disbelief. 

“I apologize,” Ivan said, already stepping away. “But, I did not want us to fight any longer. We have not done anything but fight.” 

Alfred dropped his hand to his side and stared at Ivan in stunned disbelief. “And a kiss is meant to solve that?” 

Ivan reached out and tucked a lock of golden hair behind Alfred’s ear. Alfred flinched at the touch, everything still tentative and strange between them. It felt like standing on thin ice that could break at anytime between them, drowning and trapping them beneath the water. “No, I just wanted you to know, nevermind.” 

“Wait,” Alfred grabbed Ivan’s wrist. “What do you mean?” 

“Forget about it, Alfred,” Ivan grimaced and pulled away. “We are enemies, da? One day, you will leave this place as well. You should go back to your rooms.” 

“You can’t just send me away like this!” 

“I’m done talking,” Ivan said. He’d picked up some of his tools and has gone back to working on the plants. 

“Damn it, Ivan! You don’t get to decide my life for me. No one can and I’m fucking tired of people doing that. The Joker, Gilbert, Arthur, you! None of you own me. You need to stop acting like you do.” 

Ivan’s eyes narrowed at him. “You don’t know what you’re playing at, Alfred.” 

“Don’t I?” Alfred challenged, raising his head proudly. “You’d be surprised.” 

Ivan laughed mockingly. “You’re too naive. You still think freedom will grant you a choice when you’ve got a crown on your head.” 

“And you think you can get peace with war,” Alfred shot back. He stared at Ivan’s violet eyes, willing it to show something other than cold indifference. He thinks of their question to each other days or was it weeks ago and wondered if either of them can really be happy. He thinks of warmth on his fingertips and the ghost of a smile and laughter on their lips in a different garden so long ago. “So, I guess we’re both idiots.” 

“I gave you my reasons,” Ivan pointed out. 

“And seeing as that was just stupid, I’m not going to listen,” Alfred scowled. “You want me to be your friend? You want to kiss me and smile at me like there’s nothing wrong? Then, you’ll have to come up with something else.” The king of Spades turned away, storming off towards the doors of the green house. He can feel himself seething in anger, the urge to scream and tear at Ivan still burning bright inside him. But, it feels too much, like they’ll destroy each other if they stay around for long enough. He doesn’t want to get close, closer. He doesn’t want to listen. 

“Alfred, wait,” Ivan called out. 

“No,” Alfred said, pausing at the doorway. “I’m done talking for today.” He glanced over his shoulder, looking at the other king still staring at him. He felt the urge to fight something, steal something, scream at something. He shook his head and grimaced. “Maybe some other time, Ivan. When we’ve both got our heads straight.” He ducked his head and took a deep breath before slamming the door shut behind him, banishing the image of the king and the thoughts of kissing back from his mind.

\-----

_The Requiem of Heilreich_

_In Hearts, they sing the song of a king, a child and nothing more had he been. He had won his games fairly and won the right to the crown. A promise was made to the realm and the Joker's gift. Another promise to the girl that he had decided to marry. It was her who had been with him on the night he was crowned, dancing and singing with nothing else to think of but the future that was promised._

_But, it was a song that would not last long. The Joker's tricks may play on all but this one must be a sin born of mortals alone. For the mortals play their own game and it is called war. For where liberty flourishes, so does conflict and tragedy to the never ending amusement of the gods._

_The boy king was a soldier and the girl, a painter of the most beautiful things. He promised to return after the fight, after the war was over and peace had returned. She had promised a painting for each day that had passed without his return. It was a promise she’d hold close to her heart as days passed and passed. And with every day that went by was another painting done by window as she watched for his return and every day, he had failed her._

_He would fail her until the end for he would never return and on the day the sky itself mourned for the young king’s life, she would stop painting and never again take up the brush. War is a cruel mistress. It does not leave anyone unscathed, unharmed, even those who wait for another’s promised return._

\-----

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully, I'll be able to post every week. Thank you for reading.


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